How to be a Dhampire
by Patricia de Lioncourt
Summary: The granddaughter of Leila finds herself in a difficult situation. Can D help her?
1. Old Town, New Faces

A/N- Alright, this is my first Vampire Hunter D fic. So review kindly. So, my inspiration for this fic? Well, first of all I love Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust! And second, I recently read the first novel in the ongoing series…I'm glad that they're putting them into English now. Now, I'm using the word dhampire because it is the term that I'm most familiar with for a half-blood and it is what was used in that novel I read. I hope you enjoy this. Now, this fic is set maybe ten or so years after the very end of VHD: Bloodlust.

Disclaimer- I don't own Vampire Hunter D. It belongs to Hideyuki Kikuchi and Urban Vision. This applies to all chapters.

* * *

Chapter 1- Old Town, New Faces

He'd been here before, many years ago, this beautiful half-blood. Usually, when he recognized a town, it was because of a job he had had there before. Being a Vampire Hunter, this was always very likely. However, it was untrue concerning this town.

He recognized this town because a friend of his was buried here…long ago. About ten years ago, in fact. Leila, an excellent Hunter herself and an ex-member of the Markus Brothers. Ex, because they had all died on their last mission. She was a good friend, but their friendship was strange. She had hated him at first. This hadn't bothered him. Many people hated and feared him. And it wasn't because he was mean or evil…it was simply because he was different. A spawn of the Nobility, the vampires, and of a human. But, as they both completed their mission to the best of their ability, a friendship grew. Leila had decided to leave the world of the Hunt behind. He visited her every so often. Until, that was, she got married. Then he felt that it might be better for her and her husband's relationship if he stayed away. She had moved to this town with her grown son and his family after her husband had died. Then she had died here, peacefully.

That was the first day D, this dhampire, had seen this town. He remembered setting astride his cyborg horse, far away from the burial site in the shade of a tree as Leila's funeral progressed. He also remembered Leila's granddaughter running toward him to thank him for coming and to invite him to dinner. He had refused, of course. He had thanked her in return for her show of kindness, so rarely seen for him, and had rode off into the mountains of the Frontier in search of yet another bounty.

Now, in the present in a pub, he tossed two gold coins to the bartender and exited. Outside, it was pitch black, for night had fallen long ago. He undid his horse's reins from the hitching post.

"You haven't visited Leila's grave yet. I thought that was what this trip was about," came a voice from somewhere around the horse's reins.

"Where do you think my next destination is?" he replied with no emotion whatsoever in his voice to the source of the other, the parasite in his left hand.

As D mounted his black horse and turned it about to head toward the gravesite, he heard something.

"Do you hear that? It sounds like someone running…and being chased, as a matter of fact," his left hand interjected.

Indeed, staring toward the apparent source of the commotion, which was an alley way opening between two buildings a few yards ahead, there shot out a young girl, pursued by two monsters. Werewolves, by the look of it.

"Werewolves!" Left Hand exclaimed. He always did point out the obvious a second or two after the cause. "But they look as if they're acting alone. That's unusual. They're usually found serving the Nobility. Perhaps this girl has angered a vampire lord? This could be a job, D!"

The dhampire had realized this as well, as he had already dismounted from his cyborg steed. He approached the scene before him, his long sword yet to be unsheathed. The girl had fallen. She now lay, looking up as the two canine terrors began to slowly close upon her. Five feet away, D whistled.

There was a flash of silver, then two werewolves became four pieces, and D was re-sheathing his sword. He approached the girl now. She was older than he had originally supposed. He had put her as being a teenager, but now he saw her to be at least in her yearly twenties. Not too far off. She was familiar to him, though he couldn't quite place her. She had long blonde hair that was braided down her back. She also had large blue eyes that were now blinking up at him. She was quite beautiful. But there was something strange to her beauty, as if some of it didn't belong fully to her. Ignoring this feeling of uneasiness, he began to look her over for signs that the werewolves had pierced her skin in any way. There were none.

"Are you all right?" D asked.

The young woman climbed to her feet and dusted off the faded maroon dress she wore. It was plain and extended to her ankles. There, on her feet, were simple brown boots. A farmer's chosen footwear.

"I'm fine, sir. Thank you, for saving my life," she said.

"Werewolves are rarely seen chasing someone on their own accord. They usually have orders issued to them by Nobility. What vampire have you angered?" D inquired further.

"None, sir. I merely came across them feeding on a dead animal's carcass and figured that maybe that the world would be better off without them," she answered, smiling.

It was an odd smile, one that matched the odd beauty.

"A Hunter, perhaps?"

"No," chimed the young woman in a voice that was surprisingly cheerful for nearly being eaten alive by a pair of ravenous werewolves. "I just wanted to do something good."

Once she had said that, her face fell. It was as if some word in the previous statement had caused some unpleasant memory to resurface. D scoffed so lightly that it would've gone unheard on human ears.

"A wannabe Hunter with no experience? Go back and train some more, young woman," the dhampire said, turning his back on her.

"Please, sir! You're the reason I'm here in this town, anyway!" she called.

D stopped walking but did not turn to face her.

"Go on."

"Please, surely you remember me from my grandmother's funeral? I invited you to my house for dinner? I need your help, D," the young woman pleaded.

Now, D turned.

"Leila's granddaughter?"

"You do remember!"

"You say you need my help? You wish to hire me?"

Looking past D, the young woman shivered. The dhampire turned to see three burly men, the town's sheriff and two of his deputies, emerge from the pub. He turned back.

"No, not really," she answered quickly, still staring at the men uneasily. "Could we go to someplace that I would be safe and free to talk?"

D nodded. "Do you have a horse?"

"She's waiting for me, where we're going. Can I ride with you?"

D nodded once again.

****

…………………

The young woman now sat upon her grandmother's grave, her back rested against the tombstone. D's horse and the girl's, a snow white mare, stood off in the shadows together. D stood a little ways in front of the girl's extended feet.

"Now, what is it that you need me for?" D asked.

The young woman's eyes focused on him. She looked extremely sad.

"Can you tell?" she whispered. "Can you see that I'm different?"

D took his time before making a reply. He was once again drawn to that arcane beauty of hers. It was beginning to dawn on him what made it so bizarre.

"You're not human…" he said slowly.

She looked away from him, her eyes still sad. She sighed, and, without looking back at him, began her story.

"You must understand that this is difficult. It happened a year ago, in the village that my family had moved to after my grandmother had died. You see, the doctor in that village wasn't very good at his job. Unless, of course, the actual job description for a doctor is to spend each night in the pub getting completely shit-faced."

She paused here, looking up apologetically at D for her use of language. She drew her knees up to her chin and wrapped her arms about them.

"Sorry," she continued. "There is just no other way to put it. Anyhow, so I had taken to practicing earthen magics. Mostly healing, though I can do a few other neat tricks. I was already an outcast of sorts because of this. Then, one night, I was walking home alone. I knew I wasn't supposed to be out that late at night, but the woman I was healing had taken longer to heal than I had anticipated. I figured, hey, so long as I try not to draw attention to myself, I will make it home alright. So, stupid me, I take the back roads instead of the main street."

The young woman paused again, this time to note D's reaction thus far to her story. He seemed almost skeptical. Shaking her head, she continued further.

"Then, I see a figure in the distance. I stop, not knowing who it is. Then, it starts to come closer and closer. Then, I see its fangs. Before I knew it, there was this excruciating pain in my neck, and I was hitting the ground. I felt completely drained and I knew that I was dying. What little blood this vampire had left me with was not enough. I beg you to understand, I was only twenty-three at the time. Even now, only a year's difference, I would be thinking the same thing I thought then, which was 'I don't want to die.' Incredibly, as soon as I thought that, I could feel something well up inside of me. I knew that it was magical. My energy was returning…my energy and then some. Suddenly, as I sat up there in that dark street, I realized what had happened. My magic, acting on my simple will to live, had merged what was left of my blood with whatever amount of essence the vampire had left on me. I knew instantly what I was…"

"You're a dhampire…" D muttered, a slight tone of amazement in his voice.

The young woman sighed. "Yeah. That's it. Immediately, that night, I packed up ol' Princess over there and left. I knew that if I could find you, you could help me."

"With what, exactly?"

She stood to face D, which was not easy. She was at least a head shorter than him.

"I can feel the bloodlust, D. It's not strong, but it's there, tugging at the back of my being. I know that if I can't learn to control it, one of these days, I'll do something bad. I'll hurt…or even kill someone. I've always tried to be a good person, D. I don't want to become a monster. Then, I remembered how my grandmother would speak of you. How noble, how kind you were. I knew that I could ask you to help me, teach me, how to live like this."

Another scoff. D turned from the girl and called to his horse. As he mounted the steed, he said, over his shoulder, "Sorry. I'm not looking for a protégé." After digging into one of his saddlebags and throwing some gold coins to the ground at the girl's feet, he added, "That should get you a room at the local inn and a decent meal. That's all I can do."

Shocked, she didn't move. D clicked his tongue and the horse started off at a walk. As soon as the young woman was out of earshot, Left Hand started in.

"Are you nuts, D? Didn't you hear her? She's a witch! She could be a big help when it came to you, as a Hunter. But no, you leave her standing there…with nothing but a mare and a few coins," he scolded.

"Shut up," D said, rather calmly.

Left Hand was silent for exactly five seconds. Then, with a sigh, he said, "Very well. Your call, of course. But what would Leila think? You turning down her granddaughter in the girl's most dire situation. Oh, well…"

D stopped his cyborg horse and sighed. He hated it when Left Hand actually got something right. Turning in his saddle to look back at the girl, something D tried not to do often--he rarely looked back on anything--he noticed that she had still not picked up the coins. Instead, she was merely staring at them, her eyes filled with silent tears.

"What's your name?" D called to her.

Quickly wiping her tears and looking up at him, she called back, "Lilah. My name is Lilah."

"Lilah, gather those coins and try to catch up," he said.

A small smile was forming on the girl's lips, "But I thought you said…"

"Never mind that. I've changed my mind. Now come on, we have work to do."

* * *

End Notes: How was that? Any good? Please, R & R! Thanks!


	2. Lesson the First

A/N-Yes, actually, I am an Anne Rice fan. My favorite book from her is _Queen of the Damned_. What about you? Anyway, I thank you for all the reviews! Sorry that this has taken me so freaking long to get to, but my mind has been in total and complete Star Wars mode. Now, I must warn you, this may sound like a series of fics placed into one, but this is how it has to be for any plot to happen. Hopefully, nobody will mind. Enjoy and review!

* * *

Chapter 2- Lesson the First 

It had been only days since D and Lilah had met, but somehow, D felt that he had shared more with this girl than he had ever shared with anyone before. The first thing he had told her had been, of course, of Left Hand. He had been shocked, if not a little pleased, to see that the sight of a complete other person in his left hand had not disgusted the girl. In fact, the scene had been almost comical.

Lilah had curtsied to the parasite and formally introduced herself. Left Hand had laughed. Then, turning his attention to D, he had made the statement, "Finally, someone who respects me and my uses!"

The dhampire had merely scoffed. He had also told Lilah of his exact parentage. This had shocked her, but, yet again, she did not shy away from him.

This girl might actually make a decent Hunter, D thought as he dismounted now in their present encampment.

"Why aren't we in an inn?" Lilah inquired as she dismounted Princess and tied her reins to the nearest, strongest tree. D did the same with his horse.

They were in a large clearing, somewhere in the middle of nowhere. But this is what was needed for D agenda for the evening. Lilah was now pitching the tents. D busied himself with starting a fire. When they had both finished and Lilah had started something to eat on the fire, D unsheathed his sword.

Lilah went ridged where she sat on the ground.

"Do you hear something?" she whispered.

"No. Get up," he said, going to his saddlebags and withdrawing another, shorter sword.

She stood, and D tossed the weapon to her. She unsheathed it slowly.

"What's going on?" she asked.

"You and I are going to be partners, as it were. Every Hunter needs to know how to fight. I'm going to give you your first lesson," he explained.

Lilah tossed the sheath to the side, a sudden, fierce determination in her eyes. She nodded. Left Hand laughed.

"The girl's got guts! I hope D doesn't end up showing them to you, Lilah," he said.

"Quiet," D said, tightening Left Hand around the hilt of his sword. "Now, I'm just going to be teaching you some basic defense movements tonight. I have to be somewhere in the morning. It's a long ride and we'll both need our rest."

"Where are we going?" she asked.

"Somewhere. Now, pay attention. I'm going to lunge at you. If you were human, you'd have nearly no chance of blocking me, but you're not human anymore. You have to remember that. Let your mind let go of its human tendencies. Trust your instincts, those given to you unwittingly by that vampire. Do what will come natural. Do you understand?"

Lilah nodded, holding the sword rather awkwardly out in front of her. D waited only moments, trying to see if she'd let her guard down. She didn't. That was good. Finally, he lunged. However, the results were not as good. She slashed wildly missing him by a mile and herself by inches.

"Stop," D said, and she did, huffing and puffing slightly as she did so.

"I think the sword is too heavy for me," she said, dropping the blade to the ground.

Left Hand laughed. D sighed.

"Perhaps a sword is not the weapon that you'll need. I had planned on practicing more tonight, but I think we'll stop here," he said, noticing that Lilah was now sitting on the ground, breathing heavily. "Maybe fighting at all isn't your thing."

At this, she leapt to her feet. "I can fight! I can! I just need to practice! Don't give up on me! Let's go again!"

She picked up the sword and D smiled. "Very well."

…………………

The long ride had taken them to the outskirts of a old Frontier town, to a house so large that, had it been kept in shape, it could've been called a mansion. D stopped at the bottom of the hill that was just before the house. Here, he turned to Lilah, now wearing brown leather pants and a white, button-up, man's shirt.

"They'll have shooters mounted on every able place. We'll meet our clients outside. You must show no fear. In fact, you must act almost as if you don't know the shooters are there," he said.

"Almost?" Lilah asked.

D smiled ever so slightly. "You must put a bit more caution into your movements."

Lilah nodded and kicked lightly at Princess to get her moving again. Sure enough, as they topped the hill, she could see the glare off the scopes of the guns. She could also see a large, stone patio, slightly raised off the ground, right in front of the house. Their employer was sitting there. D was right. Outside it was.

D and Lilah dismounted and walked slowly up the side stairs of the patio. They came to a stop a little less than twenty feet from a man with blond hair who appeared to be of middle age and a maid who was serving him tea, by the smell of it. The man gestured for D and Lilah to sit.

"What is the problem?" D asked, apparently declining the seat, for he had not moved. Lilah found it hard not to keep her stare from drifting back and forth from their employer and D.

The man laughed. "Very well. My name is Sir Thomas McKensly. I built half the town you just rode through."

"I've heard of you. Go on," D said.

"Yes, well, my wife, Geneva, was kidnapped last night on her way back from the village. She's a midwife there."

Lilah shuddered involuntarily. That situation sounded awful close to what hers had been. Sir Thomas sighed.

"Yes, well, the vampire who did it demands a ransom, of all things. But, although I appear wealthy, I don't have near enough money in my name to cover what he is asking. I am willing to pay you five hundred million dollars, which should give you some idea as to the amount that this vampire is asking, and I'll give you half in advance. What do you say?"

He tossed the money, encased in a brown draw sack. D picked up the sack and seemed to weigh it in his hand before he decided that the correct amount was there. He then looked out at Sir Thomas from under his hat and said, rather darkly, "If your wife has been tainted, turned by the vampire…"

Thomas's chest puffed out. He seemed on the verge of insisting that Lilah and D should find some miracle cure that she, at least, knew didn't exist. Then, he sighed.

"Destroy her…Just…Well, I'm sure you get this all the time…" he said, looking away.

Lilah was, for her part, shocked that he had come to this conclusion so quickly. In fact, she was sure that it must've shown on her face, for D gave her a sharp look before stating, "Yes. I understand."

And with that, they left, walking and mounting their horses silently. Once they were back at the bottom of the hill they had first stopped at, Lilah sped Princess so that she was neck-in-neck with D's horse.

"Don't you think that he was being rather cold in regards to his wife?" she asked.

"Ah, honey, that's a typical bounty," Left Hand said.

"As much as I hate to admit it, he's right. And there would be nothing else to do. Sir McKensly knew that," D said.

Lilah sighed. She supposed that they were right.

"It's only hard because this is the first time. You get used to the apparent coldness once you realize that it's not all that it appears to be," D said.

He then spurred his horse to go a few paces ahead. Lilah watched him for a few moments. Then, deciding that her staring was doing her no good in any aspect, she contended herself with playing "Name the Bird Calls" with Left Hand. She was sure D loved that.

* * *

End Notes: So, how was it? I hope it wasn't too choppy. Please review! Thanks! 


	3. Practice

A/N- I'm so happy that everyone is enjoying this. Now, if anyone has checked my profile, you see a list there all in bold. That's the fanfics I plan to work on in the near future. As time goes by, the fics already there will move up in numbers and I'll be adding more at the bottom. I know the list looks like a lot, but it helps me focus. Well, anyway, on with the chapter.

* * *

Chapter 3- Practice

To anybody passing by, it might appear to them that the figure on the white horse and the figure on the black were racing each other. However, it was not so. D had long since figured out who the vampire lord was and where he was hiding. He had kicked his horse into a desperate run without warning Lilah. Now, it was all Princess could do to keep up.

"D! Where are we going!" the novice vampire hunter shouted to him.

There was no reply. This didn't shock her. D didn't seem like the shouting type. She kicked at the flanks of her horse, muttered a slight apology to her for pressing her so hard, and Princess sped up. As Lilah began to catch D, she repeated her question.

"Where are we going?"

He glanced at her for a moment and appeared to smirk. Apparently, he didn't think that Princess had had it in her to keep up with the foreboding black steed.

"It's an old castle a ways out from that town," he replied, not glancing at her again. "It used to be…well, I guess you could call it a summer home for the vampires. They would come to this castle and stay for months on end, discuss new advances in technology, uncooperative humans, and such."

"A vampire summer home? That's almost funny. Do we know what to expect there?" Lilah inquired.

He glanced at her for a longer moment this time. He seemed to be shock, though it didn't clearly show on his face. Not much clearly showed on this dhampire's features. Lilah laughed.

"You sounded almost like a professional hunter," D commented lightly.

"I used to spend a lot of time with my grandmother when I was very little."

He nodded, understanding. Then, he pulled back on the reins of his cyborg. Lilah did the same with Princess. Before them now loomed a large, broken down castle. If one looked closely enough, they could see tiny maintenance robots trying in vain to keep up with repairs.

"So, we're expecting…?" Lilah said as she and D dismounted.

It was Left Hand that answered.

"There was a vampire caretaker of this castle long ago when it had been in heavy usage," he said.

"Well, he's not doing his job…" she muttered.

Left Hand chuckled. "His name was Ferni and as far as the vampire hierarchy was concerned, he was at the very bottom. Although he lived in this huge, one-time beautiful castle, he never had any real power or wealth. To sum it up, he was treated on the same level as his fellow vampires treated humans."

"So…why does he have that man's wife?" Lilah asked.

D was walking in front of the castle, examining it for possible traps. As he came to a halt in front of the drawbridge, where Lilah still was, he touched the blue pendant around his neck. The drawbridge fell as she gasped and jumped back out of the way. D raised an eyebrow at her, seeing that it fell a good four feet from where they had been standing. She giggled nervously.

"I've never been good judging distance."

Left Hand laughed. D shook his head.

"I believe that he has the woman and is asking for the ransom in order to attempt to climb up the vampiric social ladder," D explained as he began to walk inside.

Lilah hurried to keep up. Inside, it was cold and damp. A few torches were already lit along the walls. Ahead of them was a large stairway where a figure lay upon the ground.

"This looks familiar," Left Hand muttered.

"Hush," D said, closing the parasite into a fist.

They topped the stairs and saw before them a woman dressed in a simply blue cotton dress with dark brown hair. D pressed a finger to her throat.

"She's still alive and apparently unchanged," he said.

Suddenly, a voice behind them screamed in a high-pitched, panicked tone, "Get away from her!"

D and Lilah turned to see a vampire dressed in ragged robes and unkempt white hair standing at the bottom of the stairs.

"Get out! She's mine, mine! Don't touch her!" he screamed again.

"The caretaker?" Lilah asked.

D nodded as he unsheathed his sword.

"I'm taking this woman back to her husband. Stand aside," he called to the vampire.

However, the insane demon did just the opposite. He lunged at the hunters. D leapt to the side, grabbing the woman as he went, and Lilah leapt to the other. The vampire screeched at them. He did not turn to attack D, but attacked Lilah instead. She kicked out at him, but it did not good. He pinned her to the ground. Then, a flash of silver was over them and the vampire screamed in agony. He leapt off Lilah as D landed just above the girl's head. The vampire then smiled a wicked smile. D had left the woman unattended.

Before D or Lilah could attack again, the vampire somersaulted over the woman, lifted her head, and snapped her neck.

* * *

End Notes: Okay, not a happy ending to this chapter. Did you like it? Please R & R! Thanks! 


	4. Despair and Payment

A/N- Sorry about that cliffhanger in the last chapter, I have a fondness for those. Thanks for all the great reviews. Here's the next chapter.

* * *

Chapter 4- Despair and Payment 

There was a sound of tearing cloth and yet another flash of silver as D sliced the insane vampire in half. Then, for good measure, he took the demon's head. Lilah crawled over to where the woman lay…dead.

"Oh, God…" she whispered. Behind her, D sheathed his sword.

He walked over to her and picked up the woman's body. Lilah, who seemed unable to stand, looked up at him. There were tears in her eyes.

"This is all my fault…" she whispered again.

"Come along," D said, descending the stairs.

Lilah pushed herself up and followed silently. Once they reached their horses, D wrapped the woman's body in a large cloth that he procured from his saddlebags and placed her on the back of the horse. Both of them mounted and D raced off. Lilah didn't have the heart to urge her mare on, so she contented with keeping D a good distance ahead of her. When they came to the hill, D instructed Lilah to stay at the bottom. She did so without argument.

It took a while for D to get back. When he did, he simply stated, "Let's go. We'll get a room at the inn."

Their horses were going at a slow, relaxing pace. Lilah looked over at D.

"How did he take it? I mean, I know he didn't take it well, but did you tell him what happened? Did he give you your full payment?"

D didn't answer. Instead, it was Left Hand that replied.

"Don't worry yourself over this, doll. I know his type. He'll have a new wife out of one of his mistresses in a few days. The only reason he probably went after his old lady was to put on a good show," Left Hand said.

"Quiet," D said, squeezing his hand around his reins.

"Geneva. The woman's name was Geneva," Lilah said quietly.

D glanced at her, then, turning his attention back to the road, he said, "You can't allow yourself to become so attached. If every failed mission gets to you this bad, you won't last."

"But…a woman lost her life!" Lilah protested.

Once again, silence was D's answer. The novice hunter scoffed and stared away from the dhampire. Suddenly, the thought of all the people that that single death would harm hit her, and her eyes welled up with tears. She quickly wiped them away as the town came into view. The inn was just inside the town limits. D dismounted and tied his horse to the post. Lilah did the same. She hung her head low as she followed the beautiful hunter inside.

He paid for two rooms and passed a key back to Lilah. Without a word of good night or any friendly gesture, D went to his room, and Lilah--sadly--to hers.

…………………

Sleep was out of the question for her tonight. Every time her eyes closed, she could clearly see Geneva's face. Although the woman had been unconscious all the time, in Lilah's dream her eyes always flew open just before the vampire snapped her neck.

For the fourth time that evening, Lilah shot straight up in bed, breathing heavily. She resolved not to try sleeping again. Hours later, she stumbled out of her room, eyes bloodshot, and met D in the hallway.

"Didn't sleep well?" he commented lightly.

"No. You?" she asked.

No answer. He never answered her! A yawning came from his Left Hand.

"Mornin', Lilah," he said.

"Morning, Left Hand," she muttered for they had just stepped off the stairs into the dining area.

D flipped the innkeeper a few coins. The innkeeper tipped his hat at him, and D and Lilah exited the building.

"Where to now?" Lilah asked.

"To find more work," D said, mounting and spurring off.

Sighing, Lilah followed suit.

* * *

End Notes: Okay, that was short, but this is sort of a transition chapter. I hope everyone liked it. I promise that the next chapter will be a bit more interesting. Please R & R! Thanks! 


	5. Pondering the Fault

A/N- Sorry for the long wait on this chapter. I just happened to have a lot of fanfic ideas hit me all at once. However, I'm posting this chapter and the newest novel of the VHD series is due out at the 31st of this month. This should supply sufficient inspiration. Hope you enjoy.

* * *

Chapter 5- Pondering the Fault 

They were once again slowly traveling along. D and his horse were a few paces ahead of Lilah and hers. The novice hunter had a strange suspicion that this picture of the two of them traveling, seemingly aimlessly, about was going to become very familiar to her. However, she also had the suspicion that D was never without a destination.

It had been a week since the death of the woman Geneva. Lilah had not fully recovered from the shock--she doubt that she ever would--but it had gotten just the slightest bit better. D had assured her a few days ago that Geneva had been tainted and tempted by the inane vampire. Lilah had not felt anything strange about the woman when she had been near her. This allowed her to come to two conclusions about what D had told her. Either, A, he had much more advanced senses than her because he was a "natural" dhampire, or, B, he had lied to make her feel better. She was quite sure she would never know the truth.

Once again, bored with the utter lack of conversation coming from D, Lilah had struck up a game of Name the Bird Calls with Left Hand. This game was now a favorite of hers, and probably the parasite's as well.

"I think that one is a yellow jackhammer," Left Hand said, after hearing a particularly loud bird call from above them.

"I would have to say that I think you're right. How did you get so good at this game?" Lilah laughed.

"Ah, well, you see how talkative our dear dhampire is. I've got to do _something_ to entertain myself!" he replied.

"Oh, well, maybe D would talk if someone were to continuingly talk _about_ him," she said.

"You mean, like we're doing now?"

"Why, yes. I mean, he can't be that stoic. We'll just have to keep it up until he cracks."

"Ah! Brilliant! So, what shall we say about him, my dear?"

"Well…have you got any really embarrassing stories about him? Like…oh, I don't know…anything!"

"Well…there was this one time, several years ago, on one of his first jobs--"

"We're making camp here," D announced, interrupting Left Hand's and Lilah's conversation.

As both hunters dismounted, Lilah and the parasite burst into several small giggles of glee. Lilah forced hers back and quickly set up her camping gear. D, of course, had finished his long before her. He sat, watching her work, by the fire. Finally, after making sure her tent remained standing, she turned toward him.

"What?" she asked.

"Nothing. Just waiting for you to finish. I think we need to do a bit more practicing," D answered.

He stood and tossed her a sword. He unsheathed his.

"We're going to do a few rounds tonight, to try and work on your movements. I'll talk you through it. However, tomorrow evening, we'll fight again, and this time, I won't walk you through it," he said.

Lilah nodded once and put her sword firmly in front of her.

…………………

"She did not do well," Lilah heard D say through the flap of her tent.

Lilah fought with all her being not to gasp. It wasn't that she didn't know she had done badly in practice. Hell, she knew that she could barely tell the blade from the hilt, but it was the tone that D was using that made her want to cry. It was harsher than usual.

"She's trying, D. She wasn't born like this, you know. She's not like you," came Left Hand's voice.

A short-lived smile crossed Lilah's features as she heard this. It warmed her heart to know that there was someone in this world that would stick up for her.

"I know that. However, if she can't fight…"

D let the end of his sentence hang. Lilah found herself wondering, _What? What if I can't fight?_

Left Hand sighed. "I know. If she can't fight, she could wind up getting herself and us killed. But…the kid's just having a rough time of it. Just…give her some time. It's not like the two of you don't have a lot of it to spare."

Now it was D's turn to sigh. "I intended to give her some time. But I can't allow her to become a liability. She will either have to learn how to make herself useful, or else there is nothing more I can do for her."

Lilah listened as D stood and entered his tent. She could feel the warmth of her tears sitting in her eyes. She fought them back. She was not going to be a little girl about this. After all, she understood. She knew that liabilities were unacceptable in the world of the Hunt. However…she also knew that she would never, ever get the hang of a sword. She already knew that she was no good with a gun.

So she made a decision. As silently as she could, she got dressed and loaded up her things on Princess, who somehow knew instinctively not to make a sound. Before she mounted her white mare, she gave a fleeting, apologetic glance back at D's tent. Then, she led the horse away from the encampment. She would do this until she could no longer see the place, and then…she would gallop away. Away from vampire hunting, Left Hand…and D.

* * *

End Notes: Okay, so what do you think? Now, just to clarify, I plan to make this a long fic, so this is not nearing an end. This is but one itsy portion. Please review! 


	6. The Wrong Crowd

A/N- Ah, now for the next chapter! Please enjoy!

* * *

Chapter 6- The Wrong Crowd 

It did not take Lilah long to find a town. D had given her a small share of money. Funnily enough, it was Left Hand that had protested the amount, not her.

"She's your partner, D! You should give her half!" the parasite had said.

"No, really. It's enough that D is helping me. Really," she had replied, over whelmed by the amount that he _had_ given her.

D, as always, had not said a thing.

Lilah sighed as she came off the hill right before the little bit of nothing village. It was still the middle of the night. Lilah was always tense in the dark. And she had a bad feeling about this town. Princess walked especially slow entering the it.

It was not yet midnight, but it was still late. However, Lilah knew that there was always at least one late night drifter up and about. In this town, though, there was not a soul to be seen. There, in fact, was not a single sign of life except for the occasional small light in the passing window.

About a few paces into the town, Lilah _did_ see someone walking toward her in the distance. Five someones as a matter of fact. All of them young men, appearing to be at least nineteen years of age. Lilah took a deep breath. In this breath, she caught an odd scent in the air.

It was a scent she recognized but was not fully familiar with. It was as if it was only similar to something she had smelled before, not exactly that thing. The five young men were nearing her now. They were close enough for her to make out the features of their faces. And it was then she realized what it was.

They were vampires. All five of them. They were not old vampires but recently turned. And then a new thought struck Lilah.

She would prove herself to D. She would prove that she _could_ take care of herself. And she would prove it by destroying these monsters. They were surrounding her and Princess now, smiling up at her. Finally one, the only blond, looked up at her and flashed her his most dazzling smile.

"What's a beautiful young woman such as yourself doing here? It's much too dangerous for one such as yourself to be out so late," he said, his voice soft and precise.

She smiled back, playing his game.

"What do you mean by that, good sir?" she asked.

"You're such a fragile soul, m'dear. Come, get down from your horse. We'll take good care of you," he replied.

This was followed by the sinister chuckling of his companions. Lilah pouted just a bit, then said, "Will you help me down?"

This handsome vampire nodded, raising his arms and grasping her about the waist. He slowly set her down on her feet.

Then, unexpectedly, Princess reared up and turned about. Breaking through a barrier of two of the blond vampire's companions, the mare ran away at top speed.

"Damn jumpy beas--uh!" the blond grunted.

His four other companions turned as he stepped away from Lilah. She had run his heart through with a wooden stake. The cold un-life that infused him drained, and he fell at her feet, destroyed.

"You little bitch!" growled one of the four remaining vampires, grabbing Lilah from behind. He chuckled darkly. "Oh well," he added, "more of you for us, pretty one."

Lilah struggled in his grasp, and tried to trip him to throw him off balance. He stopped her efforts easily. It was then Lilah realized that she was out-numbered…and they were much, much stronger than she was. She had gotten lucky with the first.

Much to her disgust and despair, she uttered the only thing she could thing of, "Let me go! Stop it! Let me GO!"

"Hey!" called a new voice.

The group, as a whole, turned to see a young man exit from a nearby building. He was walking nearer to them.

"Hey! Let her go! She doesn't want to go with you. Did you hear me?" he said, walking ever closer.

"Oh, no," Lilah moaned in agony. "Run, sir! Please!"

"Get rid of him," the vampire holding her said.

"No! NO!" Lilah screamed as she watched the other three casually walk over and kill the man easily. "Let me go!"

Tears were streaming down her face now. She had destroyed yet another innocent life, simply because she could not defend herself. And now, she was trapped. And even worse, she was utterly and completely alone.

* * *

End Notes: Oh, what will become of Lilah! Hee hee, come back next time to find out! Anyhow, sorry for the shortness. Another of the dreaded transition chapters. I fear that this story will have a lot of these. I hope you enjoyed it! Please review! 


	7. Life Saver

A/N- Sorry about the evil cliff hanger. I want to make a note about the forum concering my fanfiction. Occasionally, I'll post important notes and such under the appropriate thread. So you might just want to check it out. Sometimes, I give little spoilers too. Anyhow, please enjoy!

* * *

Chapter 7- Life Saver 

Lilah's knees gave out, and she collapsed to the ground, sobbing. Why was it always her? Why couldn't she help people? That's all she ever wanted to do. She had been helping a patient when she had been turned, she had been trying to help D when the vampire had killed Geneva, and she had been--well--trying to help herself when she had tried to kill these vampires. And every time, some innocent ended up being hurt. Why couldn't she be more useful?

"Get up! Get up, you little whore!" snapped the vampire that still had a hold of her.

She took a deep, shuddering breath. But she did not stand. Instead, she looked up at her captor, a defiant look in her eyes, and said, "Kill me. Go ahead. Drain me dry. I don't care. I won't fight you."

The vampire looked puzzled for a moment. Then, he smiled wide.

"Suit yourself. But to tell you the truth, pretty one, I was kind of hoping you would fight. I like it when they're feisty," he said, looking up at his undead companions.

They all began to close in around her. Lilah closed her eyes and even tilted her head to the right. The way she figured it, the sooner she was gone, the better. However, she suddenly felt the vampire pull back hard on her hair with a groan that Lilah had heard one too many times. Her eyes flicked open in time to feel and see some of the vampire's stolen blood from a previous victim fall upon her head. The vampire's grip died with him, and he released Lilah.

As quickly as he had died, the other three went just as fast. All with a sudden gust of wind and a flash of silver. Lilah had not even stood yet. Then, she felt a hand pull her up to her feet with a great force by the collar of her shirt. The daze that had come over her faded with the recognition of not the figure holding her up first, but rather the white mare that was behind him. Suddenly, the daze was returning. She just couldn't work out what had happened.

"What the hell did you think you were doing!" D's voice broke through to her.

She gasped and stared at D as if she had not known he had been there. He was still holding her up by her shirt collar, and he looked livid. If Lilah was honest with herself, that was first sign of emotion she had seen from the dhampire. Her mouth quivered a bit as she tried to form words…but they just would not come. She couldn't decide on what needed to be said first.

"Can you stand?" D asked, and, without waiting for an answer, released his hold.

Lilah stood a bit wobbly, but she stood nonetheless. Finally, regaining her voice, she looked up at him and asked, "How did you find me?"

"I had noticed Princess coming from this direction. I just retraced her steps. However, you did not answer my question. What were you thinking?" D said in a voice of calm. It would probably be forced calm, were it any other person speaking.

"I--I heard what you said to L.H. About my fighting…I didn't want to trouble you," Lilah muttered.

D didn't reply. Instead, he gave a short whistle and both Princess and D's black stallion came to him. D mounted, but Lilah just stood there.

"Aren't you coming?" D asked, not looking at as he turned his stallion back in the direction of the camp.

"I know how much trouble a liability can be in this line of duty. I can't put you in that much danger. You've done so much for me already, just by taking me in. I've already cost you…and others, so much. I won't trouble you anymore," Lilah said, clicking her tongue.

Princess began to walk obediently over to her when D put out his hand and caught her reins.

"What are you doing?" Lilah asked.

"These deaths are not…were not your fault. There was nothing you nor I could have done. You have to accept this. However, I will not accept your leaving. You wouldn't last a day out on your own. You have to learn. I believe you can…we just have to work at it. Now, come along. We need to rest."

Lilah gave a soft smile as D released her horse and began to slowly ride back to camp. She met Princess half-way and petted her for a moment. Kindness such as D had just shown her was rare in Hunters. She wished she could show him just how much she appreciated it. Sighing, she began to pull herself up into Princess's saddle but stopped as an idea struck her.

She quickly ran around and stood in the pathway of D's horse. D pulled the reins.

"What is it?" he asked.

Lilah fumbled for a moment. Then, finally, she said, "I want to do something for you. Something I can only do right here, because I have the means at this moment. Something good."

* * *

End Notes: And what is Lilah's gift to D? Find out next chapter! Please review! 


	8. Something Good

A/N- Sorry for the long wait. The fics eligible for the buddy lists just keep growing in quantity. Anyhow, now you can see what the gift is!

* * *

Chapter 8- Something Good 

Lilah got out from in front of D's horse and began walking back in the direction of the dead man who had tried to save her. D watched as she walked further from him. Finally, she turned and said, "Are you coming or not?"

Silently, D dismounted and followed. Lilah was not standing before the head of the body. Bending, she turned the deceased man over onto his back. He had been handsome, with light red hair and blue eyes that were forever frozen open. Lilah stood again and gestured to the fallen soul.

"You remember the night I met you? I told you that I had also dabbled in some other tricks. A type of Necromancy was one of those tricks," she said.

D said nothing at first. He simply stood there, staring from the man to the girl. Finally, he said, "Go on."

Bringing herself up some, she said, "I propose…that I give Left Hand his own separate body."

"What!" came the parasite's voice.

Lilah smiled.

"Are you interested?"

"How is it possible?" D asked calmly.

The young woman clasped her hands behind her back in a move D would have previously classified as "uncharacteristic" for her. The pose was just too…mischievous. Clearing her throat, she began to explain.

"I know that you weren't born with Left Hand…the parasite, I mean. However, I know that you are very powerful. If you had wanted Left Hand gone, you would've done it already. And I know he annoys you enough to want him gone. I suspect there is some sort of spell holding the two of you together, right?"

D nodded once. Lilah smiled, pleased with herself. She continued.

"I can break that spell and transport Left Hand's essence into this body. He would fully control it. Also, it would give us yet another couple of hands in a fight. He would still retain all the abilities that he has now."

"Wait! Is anyone going to ask me how I feel about this?" Left Hand's voice sounded.

Lilah and D exchanged a quick glance. Then, sighing, she asked, "What is it that you want to do, Left Hand?"

The parasite went silent. This was new for him. As he was mulling things over, D seemed to be intently staring at the body. Finally, he came to his decision.

"I'll do it. Besides, it'll be fun to be able to interact with you guys all the time!" Left Hand laughed.

"D?" Lilah asked, inclining her head a bit to the side.

"Do it."

…………………

They had moved the body back to their camp. Lilah had immediately began setting up candles and other such magical affiliates around the man. Then, she began to murmur in a low voice as she sprinkled several dried herbs around. Finally, she gestured for D to stand on the man's right as she stood on the left.

"Hold out Left Hand directly over the heart area," Lilah instructed.

"Uh, sweetheart, my kind usually enter a body through other means," Left Hand said as D put him, face down, over the heart.

"Well…do you want this to somewhat permanent? I mean, the spell I intend to do will make this body _yours_. You do want that, don't you?" Lilah asked.

"You can do that, toots?" the parasite inquired.

"Yes."

"Then let's get on with it!" he said, excited.

Lilah smiled. Reaching out, she rested both of her hands on D's.

"What am I required to do?" he asked.

"Just to stand here and wait for it to be finished."

Lilah began chanting, first in a low voice, then higher. She chanted and chanted until her speed in saying the words was incredibly fast and her volume was almost yelling. Then, she broke off, speaking the words of a spell.

"_Great Spirits, I implore you! Remove this being who does do not inhabit a native form! Allow this fallen warrior to become his home! Hear me! Do my will!_" she spoke.

Then, she repeated those words. Again and again, she repeated them as they too grew in speed and volume. Suddenly, a dark mist began to leak out from D's palm. Seeing it, Lilah's eyes widened in anticipation, and her words grew even faster. The mist fell downward, encompassing the man. Then, when the body was covered, the mist sank into it. Lilah stopped, her breath coming in gasps.

"Are you all right?" D asked as the young woman swayed.

Lilah lifted a hand, waving off D's concern. "I'm fine. Did it work?"

D lifted his left hand and looked at it as if he had never truly seen it before. Then, looking back at her, he said, "He is no longer in me."

A groan from around their feet caused them both to look down. Then, as the body of the man--blinking and rubbing its head--sat up, they both stepped back.

"Left Hand, is it…is it you?" Lilah asked.

The body looked up at her. Smiling, it said, in a voice playful and not too deep, "Yup. Although, Left Hand may not work as a name anymore."

Lilah let out a tiny, joyful scream of triumph. In fact, she even jumped up and down once or twice.

"I did it! I did it!" she said.

"Congratulations, kiddo," the former-Left Hand said.

D smiled. "Let's get some sleep. We'll ride into town tomorrow for more supplies."

Turning, he entered his tent. Left Hand stood. Smiling, he hugged Lilah.

"Thanks. I never thought I would get a body of my own. This'll be fun," he said, pulling back. "Now, what about a name?"

"Well, why don't you pick one?" Lilah asked.

"Nah. You gave me a body. That kind of like makes you my mother, in some twisted way. Mothers get to name their children. Children don't get to name themselves," he replied.

"I'm honored. Um…let me see…how about…L.H.?"

He lifted an eyebrow. "L.H.? I suppose that stands for Left Hand?"

Lilah nodded. "Yeah, cause that's all I'll ever know you as. Besides, we don't have to tell anyone that that is what it actually stands for."

He smiled. "I like it. L.H. Thanks."

"Anytime."

Turning away, Lilah entered her own tent, and for the first time since being turned, she felt strong.

* * *

End Notes: What do you think? Left Hand (L.H. from here on out) now has a body. I hope everyone liked this. Please review! 


	9. Spellbooks and Spoils

A/N- Sorry again for the wait. Once again, it's all to do with the number of fics on the list. In fact, I employed the one-time switcheroo that my friend and I had agreed to do if necessary. Originally, I was supposed to be working on a new fic that is the prequel to another fic of mine. However, don't worry, I won't be adding any new fics any time soon. I want to finish a couple of the ones I've got going now. Well, please enjoy!

* * *

Chapter 9- Spellbooks and Spoils 

"Go tell L.H. to hurry, or we'll miss our appointment," D said, in his usual, calm tone. However, if one were to look deep into his eyes, the seeds of frustration would be there.

He was leaning against the outside wall of a clothing store. L.H. had awoken the next morning, demanding that he be able to purchase clothing of his very own. And so, Lilah and D were outside, awaiting L.H. to come out and announce that he had finished. He had, at first, told them that it would only be a few minutes. A few minutes had turned into thirty, and thirty into an hour…now, D was annoyed.

Lilah nodded and entered the store. Quickly seeing that there was no L.H. in sight, she went to the dressing room area. There, at the far end of the left side of the room, was a dressing room with an endless number of shirts and pants laid over the top of the door. And more were being added. As Lilah got closer, she could hear L.H.'s voice saying, "No. Nope. Not that. Good God, not that, ever!"

Smiling, Lilah knocked on the door.

"This one is occupied!" L.H. announced.

"It's me. Look, D is getting pretty annoyed out there. Do you think you can wrap it up?" Lilah said in reply.

"But, what if I haven't found my look yet?" L.H. said, opening the door and peeking through.

It was every bit of strength Lilah had not to laugh. Choking it down, she said, "Well, I'm sure we'll stop at a town that has another clothing store. Every town has one, you know."

But the door had closed again, and L.H. had announced, "Found it! Out in just a sec!"

She rolled her eyes. Muttering to herself, she said, "I hope so. Otherwise, D's going to hunt you."

She walked out of the store, smiling briefly at the man behind the counter. D raised an eyebrow when she came to a stop before him…without L.H. The dhampire opened his mouth, as if to admonish either her or the non-present L.H., but Lilah stopped him.

"He said just a sec. I think he meant it this time," she said.

Ten minutes later, L.H. finally walked out. Both Lilah's and D's eyes widened at the sight before them. L.H. stood before them clad in black leather pants and a black silken shirt, but that was not what truly caused the looks upon his companions faces. It was the fact that both the collars and the sleeves of the shirt were…frilly. The collar even had a brooch on it, a blood-red jewel.

"Now, this, D, is how you should dress! What do you think?" the former-appendage said, modeling for them.

D turned his back to him, giving Lilah a look as he walked away to mount his stallion. L.H. scoffed at his retreating form.

"He's obviously jealous of me. You like it, don't you, toots?" L.H. asked.

Once again swallowing down all of the things she wanted to say, she smiled. Tilting her head in the direction of Princess and L.H.'s new brown horse, she said, "It's…nice. We'd better go."

"Ha!" L.H. shouted over to D as he followed her towards their horses. "_She_ liked it! Just goes to show you what you know about fashion!"

…………………

The reception area--as the domestic had called it--was so similar to the one they had met Geneva's husband in that Lilah had had to ask if they were in the right place. She was almost quite certain that they had made a circle and that the man had found a new wife, and that new wife had gotten kidnapped as well. When she had made these statements, D had even graced her with a small smile.

"It appears that this house was built along the same time as the other. I remember this style being quite popular then," he said, dismounting.

Lilah and L.H. followed suit. D told them that they were to follow the same act they had followed before. They were led up to a pavilion, where an elderly man--dressed smartly in a blue suit--sat. He smiled as the three approached, and when they stopped five or six feet from his table, he waved them closer.

"Come, come, come! This is no way to conduct business! Please, allow me to introduce myself. I am Malcolm Lucas III, mayor of this lovely little town called Lamia. Now, I am quite aware of your identity, D, but who are your two companions?" the man said, a smile brightening his face.

Lilah looked to D, unsure whether to answer or not. However, D had to beat L.H. to the punch. Cutting him off just after the word "I'm," D said, "What is your business?"

The mayor laughed, nodded. "A man who doesn't beat around the bush! Absolutely wonderful! Very well, where to begin…"

Lilah couldn't help but think, as this last statement sent Mayor Lucas into a deep thought--still a smile on his face--that this man was incredibly too happy to be plagued by anything too horrible. The mayor rubbed his chin and sighed. He looked away for a moment. When he looked back at the three Hunters, it seemed as if he had aged several years right there in that instant. The happy light in his eyes was gone, and there were sagging bags under his eyes. Lilah glanced at L.H., who had a looked of horror upon his face. D, as usual, was unmoving.

"Our town's population decreases every night. The local, surviving vampire Lord is exacting his revenge on us. You see, years ago, when I was but a child, the town's people rose up as one and killed off this vampire's family," the Mayor said, looking off into the distance.

"Why was he not killed?" Lilah asked.

D glanced at the young dhampire, a look of mild surprise on his features. It appeared as if he had been about to ask the same question. Lilah gave an apologetic shrug, but D waved it off.

"He wasn't killed because he had not been there that night. In fact, he only returned to his ancestral home about three years ago. Once he had discovered what had happened, he began to call various monsters into his service."

"Experiments. Vampires are known for doing such," D said.

The Mayor shook his head. "No, no, sir. These are not the artificial monsters that most humans are used to. If that had been the case, the town could've simply destroyed them. No, these were called here by magic."

Lilah's ears almost visibly perked up. This time, D looked to her to ask the question.

"What kind of magic? I mean, how old? Do you know anything of it?" she asked.

Mayor Lucas chuckled. "I was hoping one of you was a magic expert. One of my people who managed to survive one of the nightly attacks found this."

Lucas reached down, out of sight, behind the table. When his hand resurfaced, it had in it a very old tome. He set it down upon the table.

"May I?" Lilah asked, gesturing to it.

"By all means, take it, if you wish. I have no use for it. And if it will help you complete the bounty," the Mayor said, shoving the book toward her.

Lilah snatched it up quickly and began flipping through it. D took up the questioning again.

"What, exactly, is it that you want us to do?" he asked.

"It will not be simple, I imagine. I want you to go to this vampire Lord's castle, kill the monsters, and then kill him so that my town can rest easy again."

"And our payment?" D asked.

"You shall have riches beyond your wildest desire when you have completed the task. I say "when" because I have heard of your skill. I have no doubt that you will emerge victorious. And, in addition--even though the castle is on the town's land--whatever you find there that you want is yours."

D nodded his head. Motioning to L.H. and Lilah, they departed. Suddenly, as they were mounting their horses, the Mayor's voice rained down upon them.

"The Castle is in the forest to the east! Good luck!" he shouted.

Neither of the three made any reply as they turned east and rode off.

* * *

End Notes: Sorry for the super long wait again. I had a bit of writer's block, especially in regards to my fanfics. Now, a couple of things here. First, the reason I had D turn to Lilah on the magic subject was not because I am trying to say that he doesn't know anything about it, but because he knows she does. You know, he's trying to get her more involved. Second of all, I hope the assignments aren't coming off like missions you'd find in a video game. And if they are, I hope they still sound good in the story. Now, because you've all been so good to me on this fanfic, here's the chapter title for chapter ten! It will be called, "Job Description." See you next time! 


	10. Job Description

A/N- Ah, I do so love getting back around to writing on this fic! As I've said before, you've all been so good to me on this one. I hope that everyone will enjoy this chapter!

* * *

Chapter 10- Job Description

It was a good thing that Princess was a fairly intelligent horse, for Lilah was not paying one bit of attention as to where her or her party were heading. As D, L.H., and Princess rode along a path they had found in the forest, Lilah had the spell book the Mayor had given her up in front of her face. Every so often, L.H. and D could hear her muttering something and a small spark would appear on one side of them.

"I think I have it this time," she said, lifting one hand over the book binding--still making it impossible to see her face.

She began to chant in an old language. D and L.H. watched as magical power--for that was the best description for the light--gathered at her hand. Finally, she shouted one final word and sent the ball of light flying. It hit a nearby tree, and the plant burst into flames. Now with her book down watching the phenomenon, she let out a tiny squeal of joy.

"I don't believe I've ever seen you this happy, Lilah," D said, stopping his horse and dismounting.

He calmly approached the flaming tree, removed his traveler's cloak, and used it to smother the blaze. Lilah blushed a bit. D remounted his horse, and they headed on.

"I'm sorry," she said, putting the book away in one of the white mare's saddle bags. "I got a little carried away with that one. I'm just so excited! Maybe I'll actually be of some use on this bounty!"

L.H. raised an eyebrow in her direction. "Aw, honey, you've always been a great help."

"Yeah, at getting people killed," Lilah said, despair edging into her voice.

"No! You've done other things!" L.H. persisted.

"Like what?"

"Like…giving me my body!"

Lilah scoffed. "Yeah, that was still a little tit for tat."

"What do you mean?" D inquired, still keeping his eyes focused on the trail before them.

"Well, I used the body of some guy I didn't even know. I don't know. I guess I feel torn about the whole issue…"

"It was a way of making yourself believe that this man had lived on," D said.

Lilah glanced at him, a look of horror on her face. She opened her mouth to deny it, but D stopped her, saying, "Think about it."

She fell silence, an increasingly sad look forming on her face. L.H. glared over her bowed head at D, who did not exchange a look at all. They rode on through the forest, which was growing darker and more menacing the further in they got. Suddenly, D pulled his horse to a stop and dismounted. L.H. and Lilah followed suit, Lilah taking her spell book with her.

"What is it?" she whispered as D walked a few steps ahead of the other two.

"Trouble," he responded. L.H. scoffed.

"When is it not?"

Both Lilah and D shushed him. When all three were quiet, a disturbing noise grew in volume. It appeared to be just in front of them. A low, guttural growling followed by heavy breathing. As quietly as she could, Lilah flipped open her spell book.

"What are you doing?" L.H. whispered to her.

"Making sure I've got a couple of these spells memorized," she responded.

The bushes in front of the trio began to rattle, and D unsheathed his sword. Lilah closed the book and quickly placed it back in Princess's saddle bags. The rattling was growing closer and louder. She began to mutter a spell, charging it.

"Get ready for it," L.H. said.

No sooner had "it" left his mouth, the creature--a huge, hairy beast with a long snout and razor sharp teeth--leapt from the bushes and right over D's head. D whirled, but just as he was about to lunge for the beast, the beast lunged at Lilah and L.H.

"Release!" Lilah cried, allowing the fireball she had been charging to fly free of her hands.

It hit the beast directly on the belly, and it fell back, yelping. D took the opportunity. With lightning speed, he sliced the monster in two. With one last agonizing cry, the beast died…and transformed. A human man lay before them, his torso and bottom half separated.

"Werewolf," D said.

Lilah gasped. "No…"

"It's okay, love. Killing him was actually the merciful thing to do," L.H. said.

She looked at him, about to protest, but stopped. Remembering her werewolf legends, she sighed. The poor man had probably killed all of those he had once loved dearly. His wish was probably to die.

D remounted his horse. "We're getting close to the castle," he said.

Lilah remounted Princess as L.H. mounted his horse. They began their ride along the forest path once more. A few feet away from the werewolf carcass, D gave Lilah a sidelong glance.

"What?" she asked, looking back at him.

"You fought very well back there. You have a true gift for magic," he said.

"Thank you," she replied, blushing. Then, she added, "And your sword must be silver. Since that's the only thing that can kill a werewolf, if I recall."

D gave a tiny smirk of a smile. "You know your legends as well, I see."

Silence fell as the group rode on. Finally, L.H. sat forward in his saddle and pointed skyward.

"Look!" he said. "You can see the castle!"

Lilah looked up and sighed. It looked as all the other castles had. Tall, gray, and foreboding. She shook her head and looked over at D.

"What's with vampires?" she asked.

"What do you mean?" he responded.

"Why did they all have to have a castle? And why did the castles all have to look like that?" she said, gesturing toward the castle, which grew clearer in their vision as they grew closer.

D gave a bitter smile, and said, "I have a feeling my father had something to do with it."

Lilah gave a short laugh as they reached the open drawbridge of the castle. She looked at her two companions.

"Looks like we were expected, boys," she said.

D made no sort of response, and L.H. nodded. The three dismounted and moved forward onto the bridge. Lilah glanced around. There was nothing. No monsters, no vampire, nothing. She put a hand out and stopped D.

"Do you notice that?" she asked.

"What?" L.H. responded, a slight tone of panic in his voice. This, after all, was his first mission inside his new body.

"It's so silent. There's no monsters or nothing. I thought we'd get a regular welcome wagon of bad guys.

"They're inside," D said calmly, continuing forward.

"How do you know that?" Lilah said, catching up to him.

"Can't you feel it?"

The vampire hunter stopped and turned toward his fellow dhampire. He gave a quick glance behind him and then turned back toward her.

"Close your eyes. You've been depending too much on what you _used_ to know about yourself," he said.

With an eyebrow arched, Lilah did as she was told. Now, all she could hear was D speaking to her.

"Attune yourself. You are an animal now, no longer fully human. Therefore, you can feel other animals. We are of kindred spirits with them. Listen for them…their breaths, their heartbeats, listen…Think of nothing else but finding them."

Lilah cleared her mind. She could hear nothing.

"D…" she began, but he cut her off.

"Just listen."

Then, she heard something. It was a steady rhythm. Thump, thump, thump. But it sounded as if there were two things keeping this in step. Then, she heard another sound. It didn't seem to match the thumps. It sounded…unnatural…metallic. Then, she heard the air move, but there was no wind. The air was moving…away from her! She conjured up a fireball, not unlike the one she had used to stop the werewolf, and launched it in the direction of her attacker. Then she opened her eyes.

D was laying on the ground, several feet away from her, with L.H. looked dumbfounded between the two. He turned toward Lilah, as if he was going to say something, but at the last minute rounded on D.

"How dare you attack her! She had her eyes closed! You told her to close her bloody eyes!" L.H. admonished him.

Lilah gasped. They fireball she had launched…had hit D! She rushed towards him as he began to stand.

"D! D, I'm so sorry! I--" but she stopped.

D was smiling at her. She stared at him incredulously, unable to believe that anyone that had just been hit with a fireball could be smiling. But there was something about the glint in his eye…like he knew…

"That's how you do it, isn't it?" she asked him.

"Do what?" L.H. asked.

D nodded.

"Do what?" L.H. repeated.

"And you wanted me to learn…" Lilah stated.

"What?" L.H. said, his voice growing louder.

D nodded once more.

"What!" L.H. yelled, causing both Lilah and D to tell him to be quiet.

The two dhampires turned from him and continued into the castle, walking shoulder-to-shoulder.

* * *

End Notes: So, what do you think? Now, I'm going to give you the title to the next chapter. If anyone doesn't want me to do this--thinking that maybe it ruins the story a little--please, just ask me to stop and I will.

Next Chapter: Separation

Please review!


	11. Separation

A/N- I really feel like it's been forever since I've written on this fic. I really, really missed it. Now, the long wait honestly had nothing to do with this fic. I tried to write a 50,000 word novel in November--got to 5,000 and it all came crashing down, but SlinkyAndTheBloodyWands finished hers, so yay! And in December I decided to finish off a couple of old fan fics to open up ways for new ones--I finished two of the three chapter fics I set out to finish and three of the four one-shots I set out to finish…so that went great! This month, I'm editing all my fanfics, going in alphabetical order. I'm down to the Ms. This one has been edited. Other than that, I got a job and the demand of having to transfer from a two-year college to a four-year college has slowed me down. Anyhow, on with this chapter!

* * *

Chapter 11- Separation

The foyer of the castle was dark, with only a few candles at the back of it lit. It was as if those few candles were actually fighting the darkness to try and light the place…and they were losing. Lilah--her ears still attuned to the sounds of the monsters hiding somewhere in the darkness--could feel her fear welling up in her. But just as she felt her fear, she felt courage--given to her by her newfound magical knowledge and quickie training session--fighting that fear until she was full of a nice, even amount of both.

She could feel D standing close on her left, and she could hear L.H.'s footsteps behind her. The three were still slowly advancing their way inside. Suddenly, Lilah felt a hand on her stomach. Obviously, D had put his hand out for her to stop and she had run into it.

"What is it?" L.H. asked. "Where is everything? I thought that mayor said that there were a bunch of monsters terrorizing them."

"Why haven't they attacked us yet, D? I know they know we're here. I mean, if we can feel them, can't they feel us?"

"I suspect that their master is telling them to stay put. Let us come to them," D answered.

"I wonder if that's a wise decision," Lilah murmured off-handedly.

"I guess we'll find out," L.H. replied.

No sooner had the words left his mouth, a low growling noise issued from in front of them. This was followed of the sound of claws clicking quickly on the polished floor.

"Werewolf!" D called, unsheathing his sword.

Suddenly, the clicking grew in volume as the little bit of light that the group had blew out, leaving them in utter, ink-thick darkness.

"There are several of them!" Lilah shouted as she hurled a medium-sized fireball at an attacking werewolf.

The combined forces of trying to stay out of any werewolf's reach and of the successive firing of fire and energy balls kept pushing her backwards. The sounds of L.H.'s and D's fighting were growing dimmer and farther away. Finally, with one last fireball, the only sound Lilah could hear was that of the dead werewolf's body hitting the ground.

"D?" she called into the darkness.

No answer. She looked around, her breathing growing faster as her panic welled up.

_Calm down_, she urged herself. _Let's not attract more monsters than what will already come after a poor, helpless, lost girl_.

With that thought passing through her head, Lilah's face grew stern. She was no longer a helpless poor innocent thing. She _was_ lost; however, which was still her main concern.

_What do I do?_ she asked herself. _What would D do?_

She instantly felt idiotic thinking such a thing. It made it sound like she idolized D as a hero from her childhood. It was true enough that she did view him as a hero, despite the general thoughts of the general population, but she did not idolize him in such a foolish manner. Heroes, to her, should be treated with respect and honor, but not blind adulation.

Sighing as quietly as possible to try and calm her nerves, she began to walk slowly about the blackened area she was in. She soon found, thanks to the closeness of the walls, that she was in some form of hallway or passageway. Concentrating as D had taught her to do, she listened for any monsters that might possibly attack her. Hearing none, and suddenly feeling a slight breeze from behind her, she made her way slowly in that direction.

_I hope I know what I'm doing_.

…………………

D and L.H. fought nonstop, fending off werewolf after werewolf. Succubae had even appeared and joined the fight against the former-parasite and dhampire. Both had become painfully aware of two things. One, they were much, _much_ farther away then from where they had started this fight, and, two, Lilah was no longer with them.

"We have to find that child!" L.H. called to D, in between blows he visited upon his assailants.

D said nothing as the melodic sounds of his sword slicing flesh filled the darkness. Unexpectedly, just as the dying screech of a succubae was heard, the area in which the two occupied lit up with the light of countless and seemingly endless candles.

"Oh, crap," L.H. said, his eyes widening. Even D's gaze held some emotion to it.

They were surrounded by not ten, not twenty, not even just a hundred, but thousands of monsters of all varying sorts.

"Let's hope Lilah can take care of herself and is not in this type of pickle," L.H. said.

D nodded once. A beat of time passed, and then the two charged into battle.

…………………

Lilah made her way to the end of the corridor and found, what felt like, a very large, decorative door. Feeling for the large doorknob, she pulled it open and was blinded for a moment. When her eyes adjusted to the sudden appearance of light, she stepped farther into the room she had found.

It was well decorated in rich scarlets and golds. Large velvet high-backed chairs sat around dark wooden tables. The light of the candles in the candelabras reflected off the three mirrors present in the room, somehow lighting it even more. A huge, four-poster bed was on the far wall, and at the foot of it stood a tall figure.

A dark indigo cloak was the only garment Lilah could make out on him, as his back was to her. The figure's pale hands were clasped behind this cloak and his dark, shoulder length hair was pulled back in a fashion most referred to as the Nobles' Bow.

Lilah quickly threw her eyes about the room, for the man had not turned yet, and gasped when she realized that no reflection of the man could be seen. At this sound, he turned, showing his pale, fine features to be somewhat devoid of emotion of any kind. However, she knew that he felt _something_, for his eyes were dark and deep. It was as if he had been weeping tearlessly until the moment she had entered the room.

"I had not expected anyone to find me…especially a young woman such as yourself," he said, his voice as deep as his eyes.

"I really had not expected to find you either," Lilah said, before she could stop herself.

The vampire laughed. "You seem a kind soul. Are you with the Hunter that that fool of a mayor has hired?"

_Think! Think! What is the safe answer?_ Lilah thought frantically. However, the Noble answered for her.

"I should suppose so. Why else would such a woman enter my palace? It is of no matter one way or the other. Sadly, you must die either way."

Lilah stepped back, calling fire energy to form at her hands.

"You'll find that that will be no easy task," she said.

He laughed once more. "Very well. Perhaps this game will alleviate my sadness for a moment."

Lilah stood firm as the vampire prepared to strike…

* * *

End Notes: Cliffy!! What a way to end a chapter, huh? So, tell me your thoughts.

Next Chapter: Baby's First Bloodlust


	12. Baby's First Bloodlust

A/N- Okay, I know…a lack in updates. Sorry, especially after I even gave you the title of this chapter. Um…you all know the story…real life, college, and lack of home internet. Well, I just started my new semester, my writing buddy and I--SlinkyAndTheBloodyWands--are sharing a dorm, and I have high speed internet access in said dorm. I can't promise more frequent updates, as I have tried in the past, because of the sheer number of my stories…but I can promise that I'll try. I really love this story, so never for one second believe that I would abandon it. I would never do so. Now that that is taken care of, on with the chapter!

* * *

Chapter 12- Baby's First Bloodlust

D rushed through the crowds of werewolves and various other monsters of myth, slicing them quickly and as easily as they would allow. L.H. was not far behind, firing an energy weapon--of which D had no idea where he had acquired this--at his attackers. A giant spider--or acromantula, as the dhampire had once heard the creatures called--made to dive down from some hidden web and snatch L.H. up into some grisly death. D just managed to slice it to bits. L.H. had never even noticed what happened.

"Where could Lilah have possibly gotten to?" L.H. shouted as he and D bounded into another corridor.

D made no answer, but instead caught L.H.'s eye. In retrospect, L.H. would have probably preferred him to have simply answered in that monotone voice of his because the look D gave him now scared him more than anything else before ever had. D looked _worried_.

"Surely she's fine. I mean, the chickie's tough," L.H. said, more to reassure himself than D.

"If we're here with all the monsters--" D began, but L.H. stopped him.

"Don't. Just…don't."

Because the former appendage knew the rest of the sentence. And in knowing the rest of it, he knew that D had the same fear for Lilah that he was entertaining. If they had all the monsters, odds were that she _had the noble_.

…………………

The vampire noble lunged at Lilah, who dove and rolled to the right. The young dhampire slammed herself right into an ornate dresser that felt like hard oak, but she refused to let the pain stop her. She knew that one allowance for anything outside this battle could spell her death. She pushed on, pulling herself up and about. She launched a fireball in the general direction of the vampire, praying that she--at the very least--singed his cloak. Her prayers were more than answered as his enraged growl filled the room. She had caught his hand on fire.

For every reaction, there is an equal and opposite reaction. Although Lilah was not sure that the reaction she received was quite equal, she knew that it was the opposite of what she would have preferred to have had happened. She was not quick enough. The noble extinguished the fire and used the charred hand to backhand her into the farthest wall of the room. Lilah slid down, dazed. She heard the vampire's mocking laughter moving nearer to her.

She looked up, shocked to seem him standing over her. He reached down and picked her up by the center of her shirt.

"Not an easy task? You should have thought before you had spoken," he said, leaning in to give her a Noble's Kiss.

But the shock of being in such danger had brought Lilah back into focus. She called up another fireball and landed it squarely in the noble's chest, seconds before his teeth had been able to sink in to her throat.

He dropped her, pushing back and screaming. He was desperately trying to put the fire out, but this one was proving more difficult than the last. Lilah was ready. She threw another fireball at him. Then another and another, until all of his skin was charred and flaking from his body.

"No!! No! Eleanor!" he cried as Lilah let loose a final ball of flame, incinerating him.

As his ashes fell, Lilah watched as a jewel he had been wearing fell as well, undamaged. Instinctively, she reached for it. She had seen something like this, flipping through the spellbook. And the mayor had said that they had retrieved the book from the noble. She took the jewel to the dresser and sat it down beside an open gold locket which bore the picture of a very beautiful young woman. Reaching into a small bag Lilah had taken to carrying around--it was filled with "just in cases"--she pulled a thick, silver cross out. Lifting it high into the air, she brought it down on the jewel, shattering it.

…………………

All at once, the monsters disappeared. D and L.H. were left standing, weapons poised for attack, in an empty room. The two exchanged looks, and then L.H. smiled.

"She did it! Lilah kicked their asses!" she shouted, punching the air.

Moments later, the trio was reunited, as D and L.H. found their way to the noble's room. Lilah was perched on the bed, pouring over musty old books. She jumped when D and L.H. opened the door, but smiled and ran to them when she saw them.

"I did it, D! I killed the noble!" she said, trying her best not to jump around D like a yappy dog wanting attention.

"And apparently got rid of all the monsters in the process," L.H. said, hugging Lilah.

"That's what I thought the jewel did. By the way, D, do you know of any vampires named Eleanor?"

D nodded. "If I'm not mistaken, you just killed her brother."

Lilah's triumphant smile faded to simply a ghost as she pondered D's words.

"Don't do this," D said simply.

The young woman looked away, and when she looked back, her smile had returned. However, it was not as bright as before.

"He killed a lot of people. I know that. He got what he asked for. That's that," she said, her voice distant.

D raised an eyebrow, knowing well that she did not believe her own words, at least not fully. L.H. looked between the two. Clearing his throat, he broke the silence.

"So, included in our bounty is anything we want from this castle. Anybody spotted anything yet?"

Lilah's smiled shone a bit more as she answered, "Yes. These books I was reading have some fascinating spells in them. None I can do yet, but I know that I can get to them. I mean, I've got to learn a spell different from launching fireballs someday!"

L.H. and Lilah laughed as D turned his back on them. Always all business, he said, "Take what you want. Both of you. But be quick about it."

"Ja volt," L.H. said, saluting D.

Lilah looked at him in confusion.

"What does that mean?"

"Never mind," he sighed. Then, perking back up, he added, "I'm gonna go see if there's anything really valuable laying about. See you in a bit, toots!"

He pushed past D rushing out the door. Lilah sighed and shook her head.

"I think I'll load up these books. And I have to admit, the idea that there could be beautiful jewelry is enticing," she said.

D nodded. He took one step towards exiting, then stopped.

"Lilah," he began.

"Yes?" the other dhampire replied, piling up the books.

"I'm glad you're all right. Be quick."

And he exited. Lilah's mouth opened in a little "o" of shock. D had just expressed an emotion! Truly, this was a strange event.

Taking a moment to search the room, Lilah thought it best if she just took the books. When L.H. reappeared in the doorway--a lone, golden candlestick in his hand ("That's all I can find!")-- she loaded the books into his arms. When she could barely see his face over the stack, he muttered, "Are you sure you have enough? Sure you don't need more?"

She smirked at him.

"I'm sure. However…"

She approached the dresser and picked up the locket she had seen earlier. Paying a bit more attention now, she saw that the beautiful woman actually resembled the vampire Lilah had killed greatly. She fastened it about her neck and said, "Okay, L.H. Let's go tell D that we're ready to go."

…………………

Mayor Malcolm Lucas III was so happy to see D and his companions victorious, he paid the bounty without hesitation, and even offered to add a bit more on to it. L.H. had almost accepted for them, and even D looked like he was considering it, but Lilah's stern look had made the two men pass it up. The trio of hunters went immediately after payment into the village of Lamia to replenish their supplies. It seemed that D knew exactly where everything was, and when Lilah had inquired as to such on their way into the last shop, this had proved to be true.

"I was here many years ago. Long before you were born," D said

As D and L.H. stepped into the general store, a child's cry caught Lilah's attention. Turning, she saw that a little girl, who had been playing with a group of little boys, had fallen and scraped her knee.

"You two go ahead. I'll be right out here," she said.

Without argument, the beautiful dhampire and his former appendage entered the store. Lilah, meanwhile, went out to the little girl. She knelt, and she child drew away from her.

"No, no, dear. I won't hurt you. Let's see what happened," she said, motioning to the girl's knee.

The girl hesitated for a moment, then removed her hand from her wound. It was nothing serious. Nothing more than any child at any age had ever gotten from rough play and accidents. Lilah smiled.

"Aw, that's not so bad. Here, let me bandage this up," she said, removing some gauss from her Just in Case Bag.

"Th-thank you," the little girl said, through sniffles and tears.

"Let me clean it up a little first. This may sting a little," she said, dabbing some alcohol on the wound.

The girl jumped and cried out from the pain, grabbing Lilah's arm. And all at once, several things happened. The blood that was on the girl's hand from her knee-scrape smeared itself on the young dhampire woman's arm. The scent of the innocent, youthful blood floated up to Lilah's nostrils, filling them. And then…a demon took over.

Lilah could feel the red that was filling her eyes, her being. She knew that the scent of this child's blood would not be enough to satisfy that which she had been holding back. She had been so careful, _so careful_, not to allow herself near human blood. With shaking hands, she quickly finished dressing the girl's wound.

"Thank you, miss!" the girl said, jumping up and hugging her.

And this was the final temptation. The girl's tender, sweet neck was exposed to her. Lilah could feel her fangs growing, could see the girl's veins coursing throughout her young body. She opened her mouth, ready to taste her hot blood--let it fill her--when suddenly, a pair of strong arms pulled her away.

The agony of such a separation was too much. She began to scream and rage, and, although her mind was not totally hers, she saw the girl dash away in fear. She kicked and clawed and screeched at her captor. She wriggled around in his arms until she realized it was D that held her, with L.H. looking on in mild horror. But she didn't care.

"I could've had her," Lilah whispered feverishly. "She was mine! I should have had her!"

"Quiet," D said, carrying her easily back to their horses.

Never once did he let her go, try as she might to make him. He climbed easily into his saddle, holding her firmly in front of him.

"L.H., guide Princess. We're leaving," he said over his shoulder.

And nothing else was needed. Quietly, the hunters left town, a town that had cheered them in. A town that now looked on them with disgust and horror.

* * *

End Notes: Well, chapter 12, how did you like it? I'm so behind on everything. I haven't even gotten to read my new D novel…and it doesn't look like that's going to change any time soon. Anyway, hope to see you all next chapter!

Next Chapter Title: "Control"


	13. Control

A/N- Well, I caught up on my D reading. I've read all the ones they have released in English up to now and the new Manga, which by the way is friggin' awesome!! Meanwhile, school has piled up on me, and I will be starting to work with Slinky sometime next week. Most my classes require a crap load of reading and a mild amount of note taking. The good thing about classes that require notes, I have a ready access to a pen and blank paper and zone time for fanfiction! Such was the case today with my Survey of English Literature II class today. So, I used the time to write the first half of this chapter. I hope you all enjoy! P.S. Maybe in the future I'll employ this tactic some more:)

* * *

Chapter 13- Control

Screams ripped through the air. Screams of agony, desire, and…hatred. Hatred for those restraining her, hatred for her lack of opportunity to feed, and, most importantly, her hatred for _wanting_ to feed. Lilah writhed in D's arms, clawing and kicking at her fellow dhampire, screeching with each move. L.H. looked on the two of them, concern etched all over his face. In contrast, as always, D's face was as if stone, showing no worry, no anger, no sadness…nothing related to the bloodlust ridden girl in his arms.

He had snatched her away from the child just in time. L.H. had instinctually known to follow D out of Lamia and to gather the horses with no questions asked. The two—D still firmly holding Lilah in place in front of him—was riding on slightly ahead of L.H. Lilah was still struggling. L.H. had been able to let go of Princess a while back, being the exceptionally smart animal that she was, and she had been dutifully following behind him ever since. It was two days time—Lilah suffering the whole way—until they had finally arrived at their destination.

It was a large manor, surprisingly well kept although any on-looker could tell that it was not often lived in. The white paint on the exterior had somehow gained a gray tint to it. A large brick wall circled the vast grounds—which were decorated with various flowering plants, coming to a large black wrought iron gate directly in front of the manor.

D touched the blue pendent that hung down to his chest, and the gate opened with a slightly grating squeak. Once the sounds of hooves on cobblestone were heard, the gate closed soundlessly behind them. Both D and L.H. dismounted. Without a word passing between them, L.H.—of whom had not been to this manor in many years—took the reins of the horses and mechanically led them away to the stables somewhere behind the manor. Lilah's writhing had calmed only slightly—she was still squirming but was no longer clawing and kicking. She seemed to be, somewhere in her mind, awed by the antique home.

D strode into the large outdoor terrace and large, ornamental columns that held up no roofing momentarily surrounded Lilah and him, D's heels making tiny clicks on the polished marble surface that held them. The double oak doors opened without a touch, and D passed through the foyer within without hesitation. With Lilah now completely still—but panting with her body's previous efforts—he climbed the left side of the double curved staircase upward into the second immaculate floor. He opened the third door he came to, and it revealed to the two a massive darkened bedroom. The room was fairly empty except for a large dresser/vanity and an even larger bed. Simple white bedclothes, giving it the appearance of being clean and comfortable, made up the bed. D deposited her upon the bed, and she emitted a groan as soon as her body touched it.

D reached over to the vanity and pulled around the chair that sat beneath it. Sitting upon it, he crossed one leg over the other and crossed his arms as well. Lilah's eyes drifted closed, and a guttural growl escaped her lips. Her fists began to beat at the bed at her sides. She arched her back and screamed. Like the shutters over a window being pulled back and released, her eyes flew open, her irises a haunting crimson. Her eyes found D's, and she screamed at him. Without moving, D locked his eyes with hers and uttered two words.

"Stop it."

Simple words, but the effect they had was noticeable. Although Lilah screamed at him again, it had lost a bit of its force. It was as if she were testing him for something. This time, D stood and looked down upon her.

"Control it, Lilah."

"I…c-ca—" she whispered before screaming again.

It was apparent now that her screams were not of rage, but of agony. Something glittered in the back of D's eyes, but it was so fleeting that anyone watching would've had thought that it had been simply their imagination. D suddenly reached down and grasped Lilah by her throat. Raising her up to his eye-level, he brought her face close to his and whispered, "If you're going to let this one incident be your downfall—after you have come so far—then I might as well cut you down here."

The shock of the words erased the crimson from Lilah's eyes. D dropped her down upon the bed, where she landed in a sitting position, her legs folded one under her and one to the side. Her breath was coming in heavy gasps. She was restraining screams and growls from leaving her mouth, instead turning them into odd squealing noises. Finally, Lilah lay back on the bed and sighed. A few droplets of sweat rolled down her face and onto the pillow sham. D sat back down upon the chair. Suddenly, tears joined the sweat on the trail down her face.

"I'm so sorry," she whispered. "I couldn't control it. I—I t-tr-_tried_! I'm so, so sorry! I didn't want to!"

Lilah turned her head to face D, the tears now trailing down to hang from the end of her nose. D looked on her with no emotion, saying nothing. So, Lilah continued.

"Thank you…Thank you for stopping me," she said, her voice growing stronger.

"You did that yourself," D replied simply.

"No…not now. I meant when you snatched me away from the little girl."

D said nothing. Lilah closed her eyes, trying to stem her tears.

"D…can I ask you something?" she asked, turning her face toward the ceiling, eyes still fastened shut.

"Anything."

"If something happens…if I can't control it…will you be the one to kill me?"

She opened her eyes and locked them with D's. Several moments passed, and, surprisingly, it was D who looked away.

"It won't come to that. The first temptation is always the worst…and you've overcome that."

"Promise me, D. Promise that you'll kill me if it comes to it. Please…"

D stood and put her back to her.

"Rest. You need it. You're out of the woods. However, I'm still going to lock you in here as a safety precaution."

Lilah sat up on the bed, facing D's retreating figure.

"Promise me, please! D! Please! D, please promise me! I want to know that you'll stop me!"

D stopped in the doorway. Turning his head only slightly back in her direction, he said, "If it comes to that…I won't let you take anyone's life. You have my word."

The light that had leaked through the open door and had trailed across Lilah's pathetic form disappeared as the door clicked shut.

* * *

End Notes: So, what did you think? I know, not much happened, but maybe there was some emotional development. Well, please review!

Next chapter: "While You Were Gone"


	14. While You Were Gone

A/N- Long time no see, huh? Sorry. I live out in the boondocks over the summer, and Internet is redundant out there. The connection is so slow, you could build your child a complete park full of outdoor playthings and still have time to shower (and I take long showers) before anything loaded. Anyway, I'm back at the dorm and ready to roll. I've been in a vampire mood lately, so here's the next chapter of this fic. I hope you enjoy!

* * *

Chapter 14- While You Were Gone

A thin, bright ray of sunshine fell through the heavy, navy blue curtains covering the tall windows in the room D had left Lilah in, landing perfectly across her eyes. She groaned and rolled over. She lay there for a moment, willing herself to think that the last few events of her life had been a dream. She wasn't a dhampire. She was safe at home in her own, warm bed. No one had died because of her. She had not slain a vampire. She had never seen D again…

That last train on her mental wish list had brought a sharp pain to her heart. Suddenly, the truth of it all came rushing back to her, and she sat up and stared around at the foreign bedroom. She noted that if were not for that little ray of light, she would have been able to fool herself into thinking that it was night. The darkness in the room was so complete, yet she could see clearly. She equated this ability to her dhampire blood.

Lilah put her feet to a soft, carpeted floor and found her way to the door. With a heavy sigh, she heaved it open as if it had weight triple her body weight—when it had been almost as light as a feather. She gasped softly at the sight beyond the door. She vaguely remembered the images of the mansion that D had carried her through, but she remembered nothing like this. Marble chilled Lilah's bare feet (where had her shoes gone?), and elaborate statues served both function and decoration. And it was so _white_. She stepped softly to one of the two grand curling staircases and descended.

She was looking for L.H. and D. However, her embarrassment prevented her from calling out to them. The memory of begging D to be the one to end her life brought a rush of heat to her face. She walked blindly through the foyer, wandering into corridors beyond. Finally, she found an ornate wooden door, in its natural color, which stood out to her. All the other doors she had passed had been painted white and decorated in gold trimming. She cracked the door and started to peek in. However, the overly cheerful voice that greeted her startled her into falling into the room. She caught herself in time not to actually hit the floor.

"Lilah! You're okay! D wouldn't tell me a thing!" L.H. said, rushing forward to hug her.

"'Okay' is a bit of an overstatement," she replied, hugging back. "'So-so' would be closer. Where is D?"

"He's been gone ever since he left your room last night."

"Gone?"

Lilah's heart thumped painfully. Had her failure driven D away? No, she thought quickly. That was ridiculous. He wouldn't just leave her and L.H. here in this mansion, abandoning them.

"Yeah," L.H. continued. "He walked right out of your room, down those stairs, and right out the front door. I was standing at the foot of the staircase, trying to see if you were all right, Toots, but D just wouldn't answer. Gotta say, I went a little crazy after that. I mean, it used to be I knew everything cause I was kinda attached to D. Being suddenly out of the know is getting to me."

Lilah's face must have visibly fell, for L.H.'s next words were spoken hurriedly.

"B-b-but I still love having my own body! Wouldn't trade it for anything, kid, really!"

"Did he seem angry?" Lilah said, diverting the conversation. The last thing she needed was the possibility that giving L.H. his own body had been yet another failure.

"D? Who could tell? I mean, I had been attached to his body, not his brain. I could only tell so much. Worried, maybe. But it's always been hard to pinpoint what goes through that dhampire's head."

Lilah dropped her eyes to the floor. She felt L.H. put his hand to her back, rubbing it comfortingly.

She tried to utter the words "thank you," but she was sure he did not hear them. With a small smile, she moved to sit in one of the wing-backed leather chairs (one of five within this room). L.H. sighed and took a moment to give her her space before he came to sit in the chair across from her. In a desparate attempt to avoide his eyes, she cast hers about this room.

It was gorgeous. The floors were a dark marble and every wall was covered with bookshelves. And every shelf, in turn, was loaded down with heavy volumes of books. And the room was not small. Lilah was sure that she had never seen so many books in her life, not even in a bookbinder's shop. The shelves were of a heavy wood, she was sure, stained the color of burnt sienna. Between the two shelves on the wall farthest from her stood a grand fireplace, its flames gently licking at the air around them. This room was just wonderful. She could stay in it forever.

Apparently, her expression mimicked this feeling, for L.H. suddenly snapped his fingers in front of her. She jumped, inhaling sharply.

"Sorry," she said. "Lost in thought."

"Not about your little incident?" L.H. asked.

"Sort of."

L.H. stood and shook his head. Then, he kneeled before her, taking her hand comfortingly in his.

"It happens, sweetie. We all slip. None of us are perfect. Not even the nobles. What matters is how we overcome. Physically, you've done excellently. But emotionally…well, let me just say this. You've done so well for someone who knew nothing of the Nobility to suddenly become a dhampire. Don't screw it up now. I know you can do this."

Before Lilah could respond, and almost on cue, the doors to the room opened. D strode in, his boots clicking—Lilah knew deliberately—on the marble. Lilah stood so suddenly that she knocked L.H. over.

"Sorry," she said, offering to help him up. He waved away her hand and jumped, cat-like, to his feet.

"D, I'm—" but she never got to finish.

D looked, almost coldly, past L.H. and let his eyes bore into hers.

"Come with me. Now."

No one could agrue with that voice. D turned, his hair flowly freely—for he was not wearing his ususal hat—behind him as he walked out the door. Lilah followed at his heels.

She felt as if she were having some sort of allergic reaction. She couln't breathe properly—not that that was too much of a problem now. Her throat was too constricted. She tried to clear it. Tried to ask where they were going once they had cleared the front door of the mansion. But she couldn't. The words just wouldn't come. She continued to struggle with her lack of ability to speak as D led her farther and farther away from the mansion, into the deep forest surrounding the area. Soon, because the two dhampires had walked so swiftly, the mansion was no longer visible. Not even with their preternatural sight. This is when D ceased his steps. Lilah suddenly found her voice.

Fear jolted through her. He's going to kill me, she thought frantically. Pushing that away—but unable to rid herself of the fear itself—she cleared her obstructed throat.

"Why are we out here, D?" she asked, not quite sure she wanted the answer.

He turned to face her. For a moment, he did not speak. Suddenly, he stooped down quickly. With seemingly all the skills of the most basic street magician, D held a small rabbit in his hands.

"I've been denying this lesson too long," he said, more to himself, Lilah thought, than to her.

The rabbit was still. Lilah could hear its rapid little heartbeat. Instinct told this poor creature to escape from D's pale hands, but the dhampire's beautiful and mysterious aura held it in place. This was an amusingly human reaction.

"D, I'm sorry. I should have had more control!" Lilah burst out, realizing suddenly that she had been waiting for a while to apologize to him.

Holding the rabbit easily in the crook of one arm, D held up his free hand—his now unpossessed left hand—to silence her.

"I'm the one who should apologize to you," he said.

Shock etched Lilah's face.

"No…why?" she asked.

"_Because_ I've been denying this lesson so long. It was foolish of me even to think, to even dare hope, that you had been left without the hell of the bloodlust. _I _was the reason you almost killed that child. If I had taught you before how to control it… Well, no matter. We'll get rid of this problem here and now," he explained.

"I don't understand."

D held the rabbit forth. Its poor little nose twitched as Lilah heard its heart speed up.

"Controlling your bloodlust is not the absence of feeding. Controlling bloodlust is controlling from what you take blood from. Dhampires must feed. We can go much longer without feeding than vampires can, but not indefinitely. Lilah, tonight, you will feed on this rabbit."

She gasped. "No."

"Would you rather it be that little girl from the village?"

"No!" Lilah said with much more conviction.

"Then it's this. Or I will end up having to make good on my promise."

"But D…" she groaned as the rabbit's nose twitched again. "A rabbit? Can't it be something else?"

"I suspect that your lack of feeding has left you weak. You're not strong enough to take down any big game. Five or six rabbits will suffice."

"Five or six! No!" she cried.

But the look in D's eyes was clear. No more arguing. Lilah took the soft, warm animal in her hand. Groaning, she closed her eyes and opened her mouth to reveal her growing fangs…

…………………

Lilah flung the sixth lifeless bunny from her, sure that she must look like quite a monster. She chanced a look a D—who had indulged in a few rabbits to make her feel better, she suspected—who had not a drop of blood nor piece of fur anywhere to be seen on him. She sighed, thoughts of the bloodlust far from her mind. She wiped at her mouth, noticing that her fangs had retracted. She sucked the still lukewarm blood she found there from off her hand, reclining back on the damp forest floor. D himself was sitting with his back against a large boulder that Lilah had not noticed before with his legs stretched out in perfect stillness in front of him.

She was glad that it was D and no one else there with her. Instead of looking at her as the monster she was sure she looked like, his eyes were unjudging. She sighed contentedly, trying to ignore the rabbit corpses—whose fur was now mostly pink—that was lying close to her.

"How do you feel?" D asked.

"Better," she admitted a little sheepishly. "Not as hungry. Is this how you've always held off the bloodlust?"

D glanced away and off to his side. Instantly, Lilah regretted her question.

"I'm sorry. That's too personal. I shouldn't have asked," she said.

"No. It's fine. I'm your teacher. How are you supposed to learn if you don't know? The answer is yes, mostly. My goal for you is one that I should have set for myself. My goal is for you never to have to taste human blood," he answered, staring her in the eye now.

"'Should have set?'" she quoted back to him. "You mean that you have tasted human blood?"

"Yes."

Lilah sucked in a breath. "I've always known that you've killed anyone—demon, noble, or human—that's attacked you. That's self-defense, I understand that. But…you've killed a human by feeding on them?"

"No, I haven't."

Lilah's brow knitted in confusion. "I don't understand."

"I've never killed the humans—the women—that I've fed from," he replied.

"I still don't understand. Didn't they fight?"

D chuckled quietly under his breath. "No, not really."

"Then, how—" but D cut her off.

"Now, _that's_ a bit personal. Let's just say, I've avoided feeding on humans for quite some time now."

"Oh," Lilah breathed as the truth hit her.

She stared at D, who had cast down his eyes now—not in shame, simply to remove any uncomfort that a constant staring can to do a person. She found herself wondering who the lucky women could have been that the Vampire Hunter D had taken to his bed? Those were bite marks, she thought, which those women must wear in pride.

"I've been thinking," D said suddenly, cutting into Lilah's musings. "Perhaps this lack of feeding is why I was having so much trouble training you."

"You mean you're going to try to teach me the sword again?"

Again, that small chuckle. "No. You honestly had no talent for that. But there are other ways of fighting."

"Like my magic."

"That's right, but magic requires much concentration. Concentration that you may not be able to spare in a desperate fight. I was thinking that I might teach you how to fight hand-to-hand."

Lilah tossed the idea around in her mind a little before she replied.

"But…you don't fight hand-to-hand."

"Again, that's right, I don't. However, I know how to. I've just favored the sword over it," D answered, standing. There wasn't a spec of dirt on his clothes.

Lilah stood with him, dusting off her less than sparkling outfit. With the rabbit's blood coursing through her, she felt much stronger. Much more in control. Her hearing and sight had gotten better, although she had hardly thought that possible.

D appraised her. Obviously, he could see—or feel—the change in her.

"Let's run back. I think you might be able to keep up," he said.

Lilah nodded. For once, she felt no doubt in her abilities.

The time it took to get back to the forest that was just on the outskirts of the mansion's grounds was significantly lowered due to the two dhampires' speed. Lilah felt that if she had blinked she would have missed the trip altogether. They stopped just within the bounds of the mansion. D had tensed, and Lilah knew why.

There was a strange scent in the air. And no heartbeat within the mansion.

"Where's L.H.?" she asked.

D didn't answer, but instead ran into the mansion. The front doors were off their hinges and lay around them in splinters. Decorative vases were in dust, floating in the air. Still, no sign of L.H. The scent was stronger. Lilah could tell—she wasn't sure how—that it belonged to something unnatural.

She approached D, who was crouched over something on the floor. Deep scrapes in the marble, Lilah could see once she got closer.

"What happened?" she asked.

"Aider demons," D answered, standing. "Go, get something to fight with. They've got L.H."

Lilah shuddered even as her next question slipped out of her mouth.

"How do you know they haven't killed him already?"

"Because they cocoon them first. I'll explain it all on the way."

"Okay," Lilah nodded, racing to find something—anything—she might be able to fight with.

She returned with several small daggers strapped to her bodice. She hoped that she was better with these than their larger counterparts. D nodded once, approvingly, and the two set off into the night, following the invader's scent.

* * *

End Notes: Okay, so how was that? Worth the wait? Now, some sad news. I plan, as any who have read my recent profile update might know, to focus on just one fic for a while. In efforts to start finishing some off. First, before I really focus, I'm putting up a chapter on two more of my stories: Untested and From Diamond to Coal. Then, I'm going to be finishing off one fic that's close to being done called Crimson Princess. From then on out, I'll be focusing on a fic called Tip of the Theological until I can get it finished. I'm going to try to do all of this as quickly as possible. So, don't expect an update on this one for a while. I might add a chapter or two once I get Tip going, but who knows? Anyway, the next chapter is called "Out of the Frying Pan…" Hope you enjoy!


	15. Out of the Frying Pan

A/N- Okay, honestly, I don't mean for these long waits to happen. But I'm back into vampire mode, having updated two chapters of my Castlevania fic, Untested. Also, I've done some much needed note-taking for this story. I've got a much clearer view of where everything is going. Anyhow, sorry that I left off with such a cliffhanger last chapter. I hope this one was worth the wait!

* * *

Chapter 15- Out of the Frying Pan…

Lilah hated spiders. Ever since she had been little, she had avoided the eight-legged creatures like the plague…or like most people avoided the Nobility. And now, for L.H.'s sake, she was hunting down a horde of them.

Aider demons, D had informed her as they raced through the night—each on their own horses--were smaller, averaging to a human's waist in height, than acromantulas but much more dangerous.

"They spit poison darts from a mouth-like opening beneath their eyes. The poison has no known cure. And I've heard of no one surviving from being hit with the darts," D had said, steering his black stallion towards the forest Lilah and he had left only moments ago.

"But those were all stories about humans, right? Not dhampires like us?" Lilah asked, optimistically eyeing D.

D said nothing, which was not unusual in itself. However, it was the meaning behind the silence that frightened Lilah. Finally, he looked at her.

"Don't get stung with one."

Lilah swallowed hard as they broke the boundary to the forest, both Princess and D's stallion galloping at full-speed. She could already feel the demons, thanks to her feeding session awakening some of her senses. They were skittering around on the ground, far ahead of them. And some were climbing trees…and Lilah could hear them spinning their silk.

"Their silk is strong. When we reach their hive, I'll make a pathway for you. Climb the trees and begin cutting into the cocoons. You'll have to put all your strength into it. You understand?"

Lilah nodded, sure that D could see the motion. Then, she looked at him, brow furrowed. "How did they even get L.H. anyhow?"

D shook his head. "Hopefully, we'll be able to ask him."

"Can't we sneak in?"

"They feel ground vibrations. They know we're coming. Can you feel them tensing to defend themselves?"

Lilah took a deep breath. She could still hear their heartbeats, but their movements were at a minimum now. She nodded again. D unsheathed his sword. She pulled a dagger loose and let Princess's gait slow so that they fell in step behind D.

They were…chittering. That was the best that Lilah could describe it. It was a mix between a chitter and a hissing noise…and the clacking noise of pincers. Her grip tightened on her dagger's hilt. A single line of tree's later, Lilah heard the chitter louder than ever before, followed by the slicing of flesh. She felt the blood of the creature fall on her arms as the pieces soared over her.

She left D to the slicing of the Aider demons, which were massing on him. They were huge, hairy, and disgusting. The creatures were shooting darts at D's stallion, which he had abandoned and kicked off back in the direction of his manor.

Lilah couldn't help but let a squeal loose as a few Aider demons noticed her. They turned, reared, and spit their darts. She ducked easily out of the range, pushing Princess closer to the trees. Looking up, she noticed that each tree in the hive had an Aider, slightly bigger than the rest, guarding it. She dared to take her right hand off Princess's reins and muttered the spell to form a fireball. Then, just before the guard Aider closest to her could spit its dart, she launched the ball, aiming for the creature's eight crimson eyes. It let out a hiss/squeal and its body rolled up on itself. Princess stomped it out of her way as Lilah threw herself on the tree, sinking the dagger into the bark. She quickly found a foothold on knot below her right foot. With her free hand, she charged another fireball, turned, and launched it at the two quickly approaching Aiders. The first caught the second on fire, both dying rapidly. Princess, meanwhile, being the smart horse that she was, followed the trail that D's stallion had left behind for her.

Lilah chanced a glance at D. She could not see him for the sheer number of demons upon him, but she wasn't worried. From the center of the mass, every few seconds, pieces of Aider demons would fly into the air. She turned her attention skyward to the cocoons.

Luckily, there were not as many as she thought there were going to be. Only ten or so. And three of the ten were already opened, pieces of God-knows-what hanging from them. Thankfully, none of the pieces resembled anything from L.H. She found a foothold for her left foot, pulled out another dagger, and began her climb.

Being a healer of any sort out on the frontier required quite an assortment of skills. Tree-climbing was one of them. Many of the odd fruits grown on trees could be used as cough suppressants and pain relievers, if mixed with the proper agents. So Lilah had learned years ago how to properly, and quickly, scale a tree, no matter the height or width of it. She arrived at the branch that the first cocoon she saw hung from and straddled the limb. She looked down, keeping a watchful eye out for any pursuing Aider demons, and began to scoot herself out to the cocoon. D was visible from this height. He looked unharmed, and he was making excellent progress on the horde. There were only about thirty or so left, including the guardians of the other trees. As Lilah drew her attention back to the cocoon, she noticed that it was moving and murmured noises were coming from it.

"L.H.?" she asked, leaning herself out over the silken enclosure.

The movements and murmurs got more excited, and when Lilah put her ear to the silk she could make out what L.H. was saying.

"Get…me…out!"

She smiled in relief. "Working on it. Stop moving! I don't want you to fall. Pull yourself as far away from this side as you can. I have to cut in!"

She gave him a moment to do so, then, holding tightly to the limb with legs and grabbing a hold of the cocoon, she drove her dagger into the silk mass, noting that the tree had been markedly easier to stab into. She heard L.H. squeal, and she shook her head. She took another moment to look down, now that she was almost hanging upside down from the tree branch. It was no small fall, if she were to lose her grip. For the first time in perhaps ever, she was quite happy for her dhampire strength. And she was doubly thankful for D making her feed, rabbits or no.

With a groan, she began to pull the dagger upwards. She got a few inches opened and stopped, resting her arm.

"Why can't you just fire this thing up?" L.H. asked, clearer now for the opening.

"And set you on fire? And let you fall?" she asked.

"Huh. Good point. Better hurry, toots. Aiders are protective of their food. You should count yourself lucky that they're focusing on D, which I assume is what they're doing. I can't actually tell," he replied.

Lilah shook her head, but found herself unable to argue. With another grunt and a series of groans, she pulled the dagger up almost to the branch. Ample room for L.H. to crawl out—he was right-side up.

She pulled herself back onto the branch. Then, she held out a hand to L.H., helping him do the same. He looked down, wide-eyed.

"Wow, we are high up!"

"Understated," Lilah said, looking down at D—who was at twenty and counting.

With a growl, she charged up a fireball and launched it down at once of the guardians approaching D, incinerating it.

"We better get down to help him. Did anyone bother to bring me a weapon?" L.H. asked.

Lilah shook her head. "I can spare a dagger."

L.H. sighed. Then, looking a branch above himself to one that held a leaking cocoon, he smiled mischievously.

"No need, I believe," he said, moving to balance himself against the trunk as he pushed himself into a standing position.

With no hesitation, he reached into the open cocoon, only making a face when he encountered something he called "ew, squishy." When he pulled his hand out, he had a triumphant smile on his face and was holding a blaster gun.

"Bingo. I've won the prize," he said, sitting back down, testing the gun out on an Aider below—blowing it to bits—before safely tucking the gun into his pants.

Lilah recoiled from the smell and the human-colored gunk that had fallen off the gun. "Let's go," she said, using her daggers to help herself down the tree.

"How am I getting down?" L.H. asked.

"Use my dagger holes as foot and handholds. I'll widen them for you."

It was slow going, but the two made it down the tree. And they were greeting by a group of Aiders breaking off from attacking D. Lilah had a fireball in each hand and took out four Aiders with each. L.H. aimed the gun and shot, picking them off easily. The blaster was loud, echoing around the darkened forest. The Aiders attacking the group slowed at the noise, turning and running off into the forest.

"They're afraid of loud noises? Did we know this?" Lilah shouted to D as L.H. continued to fire at the retreating monsters.

D, as usual, did not respond, but kept cutting down the monsters closest to him. Lilah fired fireball after fireball until she heard L.H. stop firing his gun.

There was silence. The group turned, looking for any stray demons. Finding none, Lilah grinned and hugged L.H.

"I'm so glad you're all right! How did they get you?" she asked, releasing him.

Before he could answer, D spoke up.

"Perhaps this would be best discussed back at the manor."

"I agree," L.H. said as Lilah turned, making her way towards D.

"How did I do?" she asked, once she had overstepped enough carcasses of the creatures to reach him.

"Well." D responded. "The feeding made the difference. You look stronger."

Lilah crossed her arms, smiling at him. "I still don't know why it had to be rabbits."

He graced her with a small smile, turning away from her slightly. "Let's go home."

Lilah had taken one step towards following D when she heard it. A rustle somewhere in the carcasses behind her. D whirled, hearing it as well. But she was not as fast.

One of the demons, not quite dead, reared up, spitting a dart. It flew a short distant, embedding itself into Lilah's shoulder.

"Lilah!" L.H. shouted, firing and killing the demon.

The effect was instantaneous. She felt weak, like she couldn't support herself. She fell forward, D catching her in his arms. She looked up at him. Her eyesight was blurred and she felt hot.

"D…" she managed to say.

The dhampire's eyes were wide as Lilah felt a sweat break out over her body. With a shudder and a sigh, she felt her head loll back.

"Lilah…" D said.

She could feel his hand on her cheek, but her eyelids were drooping. Then, everything was black.

* * *

End Notes: Okay, so apparently acromantula, the word, was created by JK Rowling. I didn't know that. So, all rights to her and all that kind of jazz. That was a funny discovery for me, by the way. There may be a one-shot/drabble inspired by this. So, did everyone enjoy this chapter? I hope so. Sorry that it's another cliffhanger! Please review!

Next Chapter: The Bad News


	16. The Bad News

A/N- In the spirit of trying to update my things better, here's the next chapter!

* * *

Chapter 16- The Bad News

They had brought Lilah back to the manor, placing her in the bedroom that D had designated as hers. The young dhampire was delirious, muttering and restless. She wasn't quite conscious, but still not able to be counted as "unconscious." Her head was moving almost constantly, back and forth, on her pillow. She muttered incoherently, with only a few words discernable. "Grandmother" was one of them.

L.H. furrowed his brow as he replaced the cool rag on her forehead. He had a pile of them at hand as they grew useless quickly. She was in a constant, cold sweat. Her eyes, when they did flicker open, were glassy and unfocused. She muttered loudly and suddenly, thrashing. L.H. called to D this new development as he worked to calm her. D, as usual, did not respond.

But D was not idle. On the ground floor of the manor, D had stormed his way into the study. Now, like a raven tornado, he flew through the shelves. Books and papers flew in his wake, landing haphazardly about the room. He had been at this only moments—his dhampire eyes flying through the text quicker than any human eyes ever could—when L.H. appeared in the doorway.

"She doesn't look good, D," he said.

The former parasite's voice was choked, restricted. Silence was his response as D continued his destruction of the study. L.H. sighed.

"She's losing a lot of water from the sweating alone, but none of the toxin is leaving with it. Her breathing is becoming labored. She hasn't got much longer. A day. Two, if we're lucky," L.H. said.

In a flash, D grabbed at a bust on the end of one of the shelves and hurled it to the other side of the room. It shattered and crumbled into pieces. D's eyes flashed crimson just before he continued searching through the books. L.H. jumped. He had never seen the dhampire like this.

"There must be something," D said, his voice betraying nothing.

"We both know there's no known cure," L.H. said.

D ignored him, a guttural noise escaping his pressed, pale lips. L.H. shook his head. He dared not enter the study to sit, for fear D would hit him with a flying book. And he could not bear to go back upstairs. To helplessly watch Lilah suffer.

So he stood there, watching D move ceaselessly. Finally, D whirled on him.

"My blood," D said simply. "Perhaps…If I gave her my blood, then it would heal."

L.H. shook his head.

"I don't care whose son you are. That dart would be doing the same to you as it's doing to her now. Even your father feared those creatures. He didn't create them, you know. Not like some of the others."

D growled. "Fascinating. There has to be something!"

He turned back to the books, having only made his way halfway through them. L.H. couldn't stand to watch it any longer. With a heavy sigh, he made his way out into the entrance hall of the manor. There, the former parasite simply stood, staring up at the clear, unblemished ceiling. He could hear Lilah's agonizing moans growing louder. A single, clear tear fell from his eyes. The first he had ever shed.

They were losing her. And for once, there was nothing either L.H. or D could do. A simple, innocent girl, dying for nothing. More tears followed. D's attack on the study was growing louder. It was futile. L.H. had never seen him do anything that was futile. This pained him as well.

There was a loud pounding, quite out of nowhere, coming from outside the manor. Almost as if someone had knocked on the walls beside what used to be the doors. The sound frightened L.H. out of his stupor, but not enough so that he was fully aware. He began to make his way slowly towards the entrance, as if to invite a guest—or a mourner—inside.

No one but himself and D knew the location of the manor. No one…but one other.

And D knew of the other. Flying past L.H.—shocking the ex-appendage further—with his sword drawn, D arrived at the open front of the house long before L.H. had. There, on the doorstep was…no one. L.H. came to a halt beside D, looking around.

"What the hell?" he asked.

Again, silence was his answer. But D was looking at his feet, which drew L.H.'s eyes to the ground as well. There, before the two of them, was a letter, sealed with a crimson wax. The seal was the design of a dragon, coiling around sword. D's face contorted in a snarl, and L.H. could have sworn that the seal looked familiar to him.

D's hand—ever quicker—beat L.H.'s to the letter, breaking the seal. L.H. watched as the dhampire's eyes flew over the words—which were written in a script-like handwriting.

"What is it? Who is it from, D? That looks familiar. Is it signed?" L.H. said, trying to peek around to read the letter.

"No, it's not signed. But I know who it's from," he said simply.

L.H. growled. "Look, unless it pertains to Lilah, maybe we should stop with this mystery and—"

"It does have to do with Lilah. A possible cure," D cut in.

L.H. could almost feel his heart stop. "A cure? Really?"

D nodded. He sheathed his sword, turning towards the door. He folded the letter and shoved it into a pocket.

"Watch over her. I'll be back soon," he said, striding out of the manor.

L.H. arched a brow, but did not argue. He knew that D left to pursue the cure. Of that, he had no doubt.

"Good luck," he muttered after him, ascending the stair to attend as much as possible to the ailing Lilah.

* * *

End Notes: Okay, so, short chapter. I'm sorry, but this is just an interlude to the rest of this little adventure D's on. Now, I actually meant this chapter to be in D's point of view, but it kind of ended up in L.H.'s, didn't it? Oh well. From here on, we're going to be in D's point of view for a little while. Oh, and can anyone guess who the letter was from? Please review!


	17. Absolute

A/N- So, I wonder, where have all my D people gone? I mean, I got some reviews from a couple of you, which I am most grateful for, but not as many as I usually do. Not that I mind, it's just that I look at the section and it seems to have become a ghost town. Where did all the D fans go?

* * *

Chapter 17- Absolute

The night seemed to part and shy away from the dhampire as he and his ebony stallion raced back into the forest that this misery had started in. D's face was as unreadable, as stoic, as usual, but inside, his mind raced. He broke through the barrier of trees, never slowing.

The mysterious letter was crushed and folded inside D's traveler's cloak. The dhampire's eyes were focused ahead, but his mind was on the contents of the letter. Everything that it had said…and everything that it hadn't. The trees were nothing but a blurred mass as D pressed on.

There was only one other that knew the location of D's ill-used manor. D's jaw clenched at the thought of the other one, his grip tightening around the reins. _He_ had no business in this. Why would he have sent D such a useful letter?

And useful it was. Inside was the location of a rift, a tear in the dimensions. This tear was more of a doorway and was heavily guarded by many monsters, not of his father's creation. And beyond the rift, in a dimension that had been whispered about in vampire lore as "The White World," was the answer D sought. The letter had been as detailed as possible about the location of the doorway, what monsters guarded it, and the Gatemaster that allowed passage on its own accord to what lie beyond.

Suddenly, D pulled back on his reins, bringing his cyborg horse to a skidded halt. The horse blew almost indignantly out of his nose at this, but D ignored it, his eyes on the distance. He could hear them. The clacking and the chittering of the Aider demons rose from beyond the trees a bit to his left. The scent they expelled allowed D's dhampire senses to identify them as the very horde of the monstrosities that had taken L.H. Or what remained of the horde. Rationally, D knew he had no time to spare, but his body moved independent of his good senses. He unsheathed his sword and tore through the trees, a line of fifteen—at least—Aiders waiting for him. He could feel the crimson in his eyes as he brought his sword through them. Five minutes, and they all lay around him in pieces, his silver blade soaked with their blood. D wiped clean his blade and re-sheathed it, continuing on his way as if nothing had happened.

He had regained his trail in moments, his thoughts focused on his target…this rift in the dimensions. The letter had informed him that thought alone would call the defending monsters to him, ready to defend from and test him. As for the location of these monsters and their charge, it was simply at the center of this dreadful forest.

D felt the first attack before he saw it. He drew his sword once more, prepared. From his right side, out of the cover of the forest and the night, dove a werewolf, snarling and snapping at him. The silver of his blade dispatched the enemy easily enough. This was followed by no less than six others of the kind, all of which D killed with a single blow each. He had not even had to slow his horse.

The first task was always easiest, and D prepared for the worst now. He did not have to wait for long. A line barred his advancement as he pulled his horse to yet another sudden stop. The mechanized animal did not seem to protest at this one.

Their human halves held various weapons in their hands, from swords to spears and whips. Their bottom halves slithered beneath them, their snake-like movements keeping them up-right. Of the ten standing before him, only two were female, who—by rights—looked much more fearsome than their male counterparts, with long, venomous fangs hanging as far as to their pointed chins. The males' fangs were quite shorter, still kept solely within their mouths.

"Dismount, dhampire, and face the Clan of the Naga!" said a male standing a bit in front of the rest, wearing crimson plate-mail with a matching helm. Presumably, he was the leader.

D did as he was asked, allowing his sword to be held down by his side.

"I wish to speak with your master. I will not be deterred. Step aside, or I will cut you down," D said simply, not even bothering to raise his voice to make sure it reached the monsters.

The females, who bookended the line, hissed and roared at him. The leader, however, held up a hand, and they silenced themselves instantly. Then, he laughed, shaking his head.

"No, hunter. You will not live to see The Prophet," he said simply.

"We shall see. Come, to your deaths," D said, readying himself.

The nagas released a battle cry and charged. D leapt into the air, slicing downwards. His sword did not connect. However, the dhampire showed no shock. The naga leader now lunged at D, his spear held out ahead of him. D parried the blow and landed one of his own into the leader's heart. The leader looked shocked, right before he fell limply to the ground. He pulled his sword free, brandishing it before the others to show that no armor could withstand his blade. The other nagas cried out in anguish and slithered away, leaving only D and his stallion in the forest.

"As I thought," D said to no one, "cut off the head of the snake…"

D pulled himself up onto his horse and continued. The letter he held had explained that, though heavily guarded, three tasks were all that were thrown at those who attempted to visit The Prophet, as this otherworldly being was called. Each time, the tasks were different, suited to be pitted against their guest. D had faced down two of the tasks. He had only one more left.

And it came soon enough. Before the hunter was suddenly a creature that stretched skyward. Its hulking form was grotesque, like that of a gargoyle, but looked like a stitched together man, only cast entirely in stone. D leapt towards the creature's skull as its huge hand swept away the cyborg horse like a mere toy.

D landed, driving his sword deep within his target. However, the creature simply reached up and plucked D—sword still in hand—from it like one would pluck a piece of lint. He hurled D to the ground. The dhampire landed in a crouch, staring up at the creature. After a moment, he launched another attack, aiming for the creature's neck this time. It roared and backhanded D up against a tree. He landed with an "oomph" and slid to the ground.

He tried another approach. He studied the creature as it lumbered towards him. If his guess was correct—and it was rare when it wasn't—this creature was a golem, a puppet monster controlled by something or someone. D rolled out of the way as the golem swept the ground for him. He then focused on the body of the monster before him, scanning it for anything out of place.

He found it quickly. Embedded in the creature's right hand was a ruby, about the size of a human's hand. The golem came for him again, but this time, D allowed the creature to catch him up in its right hand. As the monster closed a fist around D, hiding the dhampire from sight, it let out a low chuckle. However, it was quickly followed by a howl of pain.

The stone golem crumbled away, revealing amongst the rubble only D and the ruby, split asunder. D's head snapped up as he was suddenly greeted by the sound of clapping.

"Most impressive. You know, you're the first to have made it this far in over four thousand years!" came a woman's voice as thick as honey and just as darkly sweet.

She appeared from the shadows between a pair of trees in front of D. She crossed her arms over her slender form. She was dressed all in white, in a gown that seemed to flow as continually as water. Her hair was blacker than D's own, falling just past her over-long gown. She smiled, her eyes blue and twinkling.

"I applaud you, Hunter," she said, giving a small inclination of her head.

"Are you the Gatemaster?" D replied, sheathing his sword. There was no danger coming from this woman.

She smiled genially. "That I am, that I am. You've come seeking The Prophet from The World of White?"

D made no answer, but she nodded as if he had acknowledged this as truth. She circled around D, always smiling, like she was dancing.

"You've passed the trials, which means that I must tell you what you need to know to both reach The Prophet and get your desire. I am bound by mystical law to do so, and there is no stronger law. However, there is no guarantee, understand. People make their own choices, and you must be aware of yours. What is your desire with my master, anyhow?"

D was still silent. The beautiful woman laughed, a melodic sound.

"Well," she continued, "it's only my curiosity. Will you allow me to guess?"

Again, nothing.

"Hmm…"

The woman stopped circling. Instead, she now stood very close to D, staring right into his eyes, which the dhampire did not divert. She cocked her head to the side and smiled.

"Ah…that _is_ unexpected. You're here because of a young woman who's dying, are you not?"

D's eyes flickered, a betrayal of emotion that most would not notice. However, this strange woman grinned in triumph.

"And she does not have very much time left, does she, D? Very well, there are two things you must know. The first, is how to enter the White World."

"I am ready," D said.

She grinned. "Good. Now, to enter, you must part with something that you often will not do so willingly. Next, you must know how to obtain your desire. To do so, you must tell my master, The Prophet, an absolute truth. A truth that none can ever dispute. Do you understand?"

D growled. "You speak in riddles. Why not simply reveal to me exactly what I require?"

She shook her head. "Because it is different for everyone, my dear. Now, think deeply…your friend's life does depend on it. You only get one chance at both."

* * *

End Notes: Okay, cliffy fun. I am so sorry if those fights were lame. I am really bad at action scenes, really. To me, my favorite part was with the Gatemaster. Now, I've been waiting for this upcoming chapter for a while, so tune in next time for some juicy fun! Please review!

Next Chapter: Sacrifice


	18. Sacrifice

A/N- Well, I hope everyone enjoyed this last chapter. Now, this may be the last chapter for, at least, a week. I've got spring break coming up, and I have no internet at my home. I won't be back with internet until March…30th, I think. Anyway, it'll be the end of the month. I hope this chapter will be worthy enough to keep everyone tided over. Please review!

* * *

Chapter 18- Sacrifice

D had not moved for minutes now. He had neither blinked nor shifted nor anything that would indicate him as more than a beautiful statue to any passerby. But, of course, there was only the Gatemaster there, waiting patiently.

"Normally," the Gatemaster's voice chimed after a few moments, "you would have a veritable eternity to decide your answers. There's no time limit, and that's how long you have, hunting aside. However, your friend's time is running out. You may want to make your choice soon."

"Trying to mislead me by rushing my decision?" D asked, no hint of any emotion to his voice.

The Gatemaster laughed and shook her head. "Heavens, no! I am merely keeping an eye on your friend's condition, and she is quickly deteriorating. I thought you would like to know. I am not an unkind creature, you know."

D's face changed, for only a moment. Soon, he had his expression back under control, and he brought his eyes up to meet the Gatemaster's.

"You can see Lilah? How?" he asked.

The guardian creature shrugged. "Really, I'm unsure. I have many powers, but I am bound to this single task. Fate, I'm afraid."

D nodded and went back into his thoughts. A few more tense moments passed. Finally, he addressed his one-person audience again.

"What were the conditions to enter again?" he asked.

She smiled. "You must part with something that you will often not do so willingly."

D nodded once and withdrew his sword. He paused, holding the blade limply at his side.

"And, before I do this, the other condition?"

"You must tell The Prophet an absolute truth that he cannot dispute."

D nodded again and drew his silver blade quickly across his wrist. The creature grinned as ruby red droplets of the dhampire's blood spilled into the center of the forest floor on which they were standing. He flicked his sword to rid it of the excess blood and sheathed it. His wrist had already sealed his cut. The Gatemaster applauded again as a tiny white tear of light, right where the blood had landed, formed and began to expand.

"Very good, D! You won't part with your blood willingly…but you understood that I did not mean that it was something you had _never_ parted with! Oh, perhaps you will get your desire!"

She was practically bouncing as the tear finally reached the size needed for D to enter. She bowed to him.

"I wish you luck, Hunter. Remember what I've told you!"

D made no acknowledgement as he stepped inside the tear that was presumably a tear between his dimension and The White World's.

It was called The White World for a reason. Everything was a bright, brilliant white. There was no discernable sky or forestation or anything. It looked as if D had simply stepped inside of a brightly lit, infinite white box. He turned slowly to see that the tear had repaired itself. When he turned back, a throne, made of the very white solidness that The White World appeared to be made of, had rose out of the floor. Upon it, sat a man.

The man did not appear that he should be in this world. He was dressed in colorful clothing. Rich reds, golds, greens, blues, and several others blended to make the patterns on his pants and vest. He reminded D vaguely of the genies he had read about in books that had survived the Great Destruction that had led to the rise of the vampires. He was bare chested under his thin vest and no shoes adorned his feet. He laid casually over the throne, sideways with his legs draped over one side. His dark skin contrasted greatly with his surroundings, and his bald head shone in the brightness. He smiled widely at D, sitting upright in his throne. He beckoned the dhampire forward with great enthusiasm.

"Come, come, come! I have not had a visitor in over four thousand years! Come in, please, my esteemed guest!" he said jovially.

D approached, but only by a few steps. The genie-like man laughed.

"I will not harm you, Vampire Hunter D, son of the Great Ancestor, Dracula," he said.

D's face showed neither shock nor any other emotion. Instead, he merely said, "The Prophet?"

The man inclined his head. "Of course. I am the only being to inhabit this dimension. Unless I will others to be here. Sometimes, I do get lonely. As I said, I have not had a real visitor in over four thousand years."

"I have no time to prattle on with you. I wish to have Lilah healed," D said.

The Prophet sighed. "Ah, to business then. Well, let me advise you, you should take the time to present me with your absolute truth. Your friend yet has time for you to think. Unless, of course, you decide to use your long life to think on it, then she will have long since died."

D stood for a moment, his thoughts unfathomable. The Prophet stared at him, smiling. Finally, D looked up, about to speak. However, The Prophet cut him off.

"Take some more time, dhampire. Here, let me show you your friend's current condition," he said, holding a hand out.

He began to create a circle in the air with his arm. In the space in the air, a cloud-like substance formed. After a moment, the center of the cloud gave way to an image…and the image moved. It was L.H., who was sleeping fitfully himself, by Lilah's side. Lilah was unconscious, drenched in sweat with her blonde hair matted to her pillow, and she was muttering in her sleep. She utterd her grandmother's name again…along with D's.

A guttural noise escaped D's pale lips as he took a deliberate step forward. The Prophet chuckled and the cloud disappeared.

"Why are you showing me this?" D hissed, slowly drawing his sword.

"Like you would kill _me_, your only chance at saving dear Lilah. I showed you that to make a point. Is saving Lilah really what you desire from me?" he asked, reclining in his throne.

"What do you mean?" D asked, refusing to sheath his sword.

The Prophet shrugged. "I can grant _any_ wish, D. So long as the rule holds. I could make you human, for example. Totally, undeniably human. Is Lilah's life worth more than what yours could be?"

There was no hesitation.

"Yes."

The Prophet chuckled. "Really?"

D did not respond. The Prophet sighed and waved his hand dismissively.

"My last visitor was so much more fun. I gave him a choice, and he took the one I suggested instead of the one he came for. I wonder how he feels about that choice?"

D still said nothing. The Prophet grinned, almost wickedly.

"Why don't you ask your father about that for me sometime?"

D's eyes widened, but only for a fraction of a second. Then, he stepped forward once more.

"I have my absolute truth."

"So quickly? And what makes you so sure of it?"

"I have…been pondering it for a little while now. But it's truth, and I can't deny something that is this true."

The Prophet raised a brow at his dhampire's voice. It was the voice of confession, of a secret finally revealed. The Prophet leaned forward in his seat, fascinated from this show of emotion from stoic D.

"Don't keep me in suspense, D. Ask, and, if I can't argue it, I will grant your desire and heal dear Lilah."

A single breath passed through D's body. He lifted his head to stare The Prophet dead in the eye. With his usual, even voice, he spoke his truth.

"I love her."

* * *

End Notes: And…cliffy! Yeah, so I'm leaving a cliffhanger here until I get back from Spring Break. I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter! Also, I'll be mentioning more on some things from this chapter a little later perhaps. Please review!


	19. Healed

A/N- Well, I've returned with another chapter. Sorry about the cliffy…I hope this will, sort of, make up for it! Enjoy!

* * *

Chapter 19- Healed

There was a heartbeat's time of silence. Then, The Prophet fell back against his throne, grasping at his belly…laughter shaking his form. D's grip tightened on the sword he had still not sheathed, and the dhampire took a half-step forward. He stopped when he noticed The Prophet raise a hand, palm up.

The dark-skinned man gasped for air, shaking his head. Once he had himself under control, he wiped the streams of tears from his eyes. Taking one last big gulp of air, he sighed.

"Excellent! Just excellent! Emotions are so hard to argue with, you know! Sometimes, I, in the many years past when my visitors to this place were many, have been able to argue them…but more often than not, I haven't. Fret not, D…Lilah is healing as we speak." he laughed a bit more before adding, "Doesn't it please you to know that your…_love_ is what saved her?"

D sheathed his sword, watching The Prophet. After a moment, he spoke.

"Thank you."

The Prophet shook his head. "No, no…thank _you_! I mean, I got to see the great D express his love…for a woman, no less! Just wonderful!"

D ignored this statement. "How do I leave here?"

The colorful man sighed sadly. With a wave of his hand, D suddenly became aware of a presence behind himself. He turned to find a rip—dark this time, instead of white—in the fabric of this world. He turned, walking towards it.

"I've done you a grace by making this rip lead to your manor. You'll arrive right on the doorstep…my thanks for your entertainment. Oh, and I'll give you with one more thing, the gift of knowledge, free of charge," Prophet called from behind the dhampire.

D stopped, turning his head ever so slightly to the left to indicate that he was listening. The Prophet chuckled darkly.

"My gift to you is this knowledge: D, you are more like your father than you know."

D's eyes flashed crimson, anger coursing through his veins for a moment. However, the Prophet did not see this, as D did not move a muscle. After a few moments, D simply exited the world, leaving the Prophet chuckling merrily behind, muttering every so often, "Wonderful…wonderful!"

…………………

Lilah felt her eyes flicker and flutter open. She groaned softly, finding herself a little disoriented and her vision the tiniest bit blurred. When it finally cleared, she found immediately that L.H. was standing, bent directly over her, his eyes shining with joy.

"He did it!" the former appendage said, punching the air. "D did it!"

Lilah sighed, trying her best to recall her last memory. She had been in the forest, fighting the aiders. Then…a rogue poison dart had hit her…the last thing she remembered was muttering D's name before blacking out.

"I…I should be dead," she muttered, turning her head to the side.

L.H. shook his head vehemently. "Don't say that, chickie! You almost were, but D managed to save you."

D had saved her…from an incurable poison? She giggled a little despite feeling rather off. That _did_ sound like D. Lilah shook her head in order to clear it and pushed herself up into a sitting position. She found herself a little weak, but she was sure her strength would return, albeit slowly. L.H. rushed to prop the pillows against her bed's headrest, in lieu of keeping her upright.

"How long was I out? Has it been days? It feels like days!" she said, feeling the sweat-soaked bed beneath her hands.

L.H. shook his head. "Only hours, toots. Had it been days…well, I'd like to not think on what would've happened."

She nodded, slowly regaining herself. She looked around the room, seeing used, damp washcloths and a water basin near her. She also noted a chair near her right side…no doubt where L.H. had waited for her. She smiled up at him.

"You sat with me?"

He nodded. She blushed.

"That's so sweet…thank you."

Now it was L.H.'s turn to blush; he shook his head.

"Don't mention it."

She looked towards her bedroom door, one brow raised.

"Where _is_ D? How did he save me?"

"That you'll have to ask him yourself when he gets back…all I know is he got this letter about a possible cure and took off, telling me to watch over you."

"A letter? From who?"

L.H. shrugged. "Again, you'll have to ask him."

At this moment, the pair heard footsteps ascending the staircase towards the room they occupied. L.H., aware of the fact that the manor still had no door on it, drew a short dagger from somewhere at his back. Lilah, however, knew who it was and spoke his name as he appeared in her doorway.

"D!"

Lilah would have jumped out of her bed and ran to hug him had she been sure that her legs would support her. However, she simply smiled brightly up at him. D did not return her smile; however, there was a bright light in his eye that was good enough for her. L.H. rounded the bed, approaching D.

"You did it," he said in wonder. "How?"

D said nothing, instead walking over to the left side of Lilah's bed. He looked down at her, seeming to eye her surroundings. After a few moments, he spoke.

"You're weak from the toxins. You need to feed. As soon as you feel up to it, get yourself ready. I'll go with you."

With that, he swept from the room, leaving Lilah a bit baffled. L.H. crossed his arms.

"I guess that's his way of making sure you stay all right…"

It was a few hours before Lilah finally felt strong enough to push herself out of bed and into the nearest shower. She scrubbed her body as hard as possible as the hot water washed over her. She felt disgusting, like one usually does after suffering an illness. It was possibly the longest shower she had ever taken in her life. Finally, once she felt sufficient, she cut the faucet off, stepping into the steam covered bathroom. She dried and braided her blonde hair and was both happy and slightly dismayed to find that either L.H. or D had left a change of clothes for her while she was washing. She pulled on the brown skirt and the tunic top, relishing the lightness of the clothes. The two of her companions were indeed thoughtful, probably guessing that she could not yet stand the constricting feeling that most of her usual clothing would have left her with.

She descended the staircase to find D waiting for her at the opening that used to be the front doors of the manor. She shook her head as she reached him.

"We really ought to have this fixed," she said.

"L.H. says that he will be doing so while we're out. He seems quite convinced that he can handle the job," D replied, exiting through the large hole into the night that was quickly ending.

Lilah followed. They went slow, for her sake. Just as the first rays of the sun were rising they arrived at the clearing D had first taken her to feed. There was no speaking as the both of them began their hunt. After another hour or so had passed and the sun was almost completely risen, they both sat upon the ground, the corpses of many small woodland animals spread around them. Lilah was rather pleased with her lack of mess this time around. D commented lightly that she was indeed improving.

They both sat, D staring at the ground and Lilah gazing at D. After a few moments, she cleared her throat.

"Thank you, D…for saving me," she said, turning her head quickly as D's eyes fell upon her face.

"There is no need to thank me. I merely sought out a Prophet to do the job for me," he answered in his even way.

Lilah shrugged. "Even so. How did you get him to heal me?"

At this, the strangest look passed over D's face. It faded quickly…too quickly for Lilah to identify what it had been. It was a long moment before he finally answered.

"I had to tell him an absolute truth."

"What was it?"

At this, D stood. "We should get back. You should rest. We'll find a bounty in the nearby village tomorrow."

She stared wide-eyed up at him, but thought not to pursue the subject further. She stood and followed him—both of them able to run—back to the manor. Once they arrived, thankful that there was not a repeat of the events that had followed their last feeding session, Lilah quickly dismissed herself to bed.

…………………

"So," L.H. said, emerging from a corridor into the entrance hall as soon as Lilah's door had shut, "how did you heal her?"

"I had to tell The Prophet I sought out an absolute truth," said D, who had not moved from the newly repaired doors.

"Okay. And what was that truth? Did you say something obvious like 'Dracula is my father'?"

D was silent. But having shared a body with the dhampire for untold number of years, L.H. had come to recognize the meanings behind most of D's silences. He knew that the truth D had used was something that not even he, his former appendage, knew of.

The dhampire moved to exit the entrance hall, going to some untold destination—perhaps his own room within the manor—but L.H. stepped in front of him. He shook his head.

"I remembered whose seal that was, finally, D. And I know that you recognized it instantly. It was your father's, wasn't it?"

D stepped around him. L.H. growled.

"Fine! But, D, you know that nothing your father does is without a price! What did you tell that Prophet?"

D stopped. L.H.'s eyes bored into his back. Finally, without turning to face him, D seemed to resign himself.

"I told the Prophet that I loved her," he said.

Silence. Finally, L.H. nodded, digesting the information.

"Are you going to tell her?"

D turned. "No. And neither will you."

"Not my place, D. But you should. What's so bad about being in love with someone, dhampire? Not all relationships have to end like your father's and mother's did."

D's eyes flashed crimson, and he whirled, striding from the room. However, before he had reached the nearest door, L.H. had his final say on the matter.

"Even if you don't tell her…you should know that your father probably knows and will most likely use this against you…probably his plan all along."

"I know," D said simply, disappearing into another room.

* * *

End notes: So, what did you think? Interesting I hope. Now, I didn't give you the title to this chapter because it would've spoiled it too badly. But I think I can safely give you this next one's. Also, I was laughing when I was reviewing the chapters here on this site...the subgenre is romance and this is really the first sign of it...haha, sorry about that folks! Please review!

Next Chapter: Bait


	20. Questions

A/N- Thanks for the great reviews! Let it be known that I'm giving up sleep and working on a Literary Criticism paper to do this chapter. Of course, it's not like I'm complaining…I have no idea what I'm doing on that paper…and tomorrow's the weekend, so more sleepy time! Ah well, on with the chapter!

* * *

Chapter 20- Questions

Three weeks had passed at D's manor, and rather uneventfully. They had taken up three small bounties, killing monsters that were attacking crops at the local village. The pay had been decent, but nothing near what Lilah knew that D usually brought in.

In the meantime, Lilah would spend hours in the library—after she and L.H. had cleaned up the mess. It had greatly surprised her to learn of D's reaction to her "illness" as she called it now. And she wasn't quite sure what she should do with that information. So, she banished it to the recesses of her mind, and, instead, focused on learning the many, many, many spells housed within D's books. Already, she had mastered a minor healing spell, a necromantic spell that allowed her to temporally control a minor creature of the undead (it would never work on a master vampire or a dhampire such as D), and an ice spell.

When she wasn't in the library, she was with D. He had started her training in hand-to-hand combat. And if she did say so herself, she was good. At first, she had stumbled and had limited her dhampire senses…which had made her no match for D. But now, three weeks later, she stood in the spacious back gardens to D's home—complete a large, clear field—standing toe-to-toe with the superior dhampire.

In a move she was particularly proud of, D struck out at her, and she dropped to the ground, faster than she had ever moved before, and swept his feet from out from underneath him. She pounced, right before he moved, and pinned him to the ground, her arms pinning his above his head. She was panting heavily—having not yet learned how to properly control the small amount of breathing she still did as a dhampire during fighting—and grinning wickedly down at him. He stared up at her, his eyes wide with shock…the most emotion she had ever seen out of him. She laughed once her breathing returned to normal…and laughed again when her braided hair—becoming slightly frizzed at the top—fell and smacked D in the face, sliding off to finally rest on the ground.

"I win," she quipped.

D blinked as if he had just re-entered his body from someplace millions of miles away. With a shift, he had moved her off of him and was on his feet. Lilah was still seated on the ground, looking up. He held out his hand, no emotion on his face now, and she took it, landing promptly on her feet.

"Excellent work. You've progressed far," he said, evenly as usual.

Her grin had reduced itself to a humble smile. "Thanks. I had a great teacher…and I'm sure the lessons aren't over…"

D nodded, moving past. "True, but for today they are."

She rushed to walk beside him, both returning to the manor. The setting sun cast their shadows long on the ground before them, and the odd brightness produced from the sun's last minutes before disappearing behind the horizon encircled them, like Heaven's own light was winking at two creatures of Hell's creation. The world itself seemed silent, and neither of them moved to disturb that quiet. Finally, once they entered the manor at the garden entrance, D turned to her.

"Will you be returning to the library once more?" he asked.

Lilah blinked. This was the first time D had seemed to take any sort of interest in how she spent her free time.

"Uh," she stammered before clearing her mind of the curiosity of this, "yeah, I think so. I think I could really be of a great help if I can master more spells. I've learned three more…finally more than just fireballs!"

D smiled the smallest of smiles, but it was enough to stun Lilah.

"L.H. informed me of them. The necromantic one concerned me," he said, the smile vanishing like a ghost.

"Concerned you?"

Stranger and stranger by the moment. The knowledge of D's destruction of his own library over her impending death flooded to the forefront of her mind. She found herself blushing for no reason. D cared about her, apparently. Again, more information without a way to understand it. She shook her head, trying to clear away the flames engulfing her face.

D turned away from her. "Necromantic magic is the blackest there is. You should be careful. You are not a natural dhampire…it could react badly with the magic that turned you."

"Oh."

She understood now. He didn't want the trouble of her going on a murderous rampage in the nearby village. The village actually _liked_ D, a truly rare occurrence. He had done many jobs for them, and, always a plus, had not killed any of them. They kept their village clear of trouble completely for a good price…when D was around, which brought Lilah back to a thought that had been nagging at her for the past three weeks.

When she looked up, D was walking away from her. Ever silent, even with her dhampire senses which she was getting better with, she had not even heard him.

"D! Wait…I, uh…"

He stopped and turned, waiting for her to spit out her jumbled words.

"I just wanted…I mean, I don't," she stopped speaking for a moment, arranging her thoughts. Finally, she added, "D, I know that you are the type that travels and hunts…a true hunter. I don't want to hold you back."

D seemed confused by this.

"Are you speaking of your lack of skill with a sword?" he asked.

Lilah blushed furiously again, but this time had nothing to do with girlish emotions or embarrassment. "No…and thanks for reminding me!"

D's lip moved like he was going to smile, but one did not appear. He was back to his usual stoic self within seconds.

"I meant," Lilah snapped, "that I don't want to be the reason that you feel we have to stay here at your manor. I don't want to hold you back…whatever the reason."

"I thought you liked it here?"

He sounded concerned again…or calm. Lilah couldn't tell.

"I do," she answered quickly. "But…are you deliberately being difficult about this?...I meant that if you are staying here because you think I need…bed rest still or something…I don't want that to be why."

D turned away from her again.

"I've traveled for a long time, Lilah," he said, staring upwards. "Longer than you would probably guess. I think…a rest is something…"

Lilah grinned, knowing that D would never say the words he was actually thinking to complete that sentence. So, she said them for him.

"Is something you deserve?"

He made no acknowledgement to her actual question, but looked over his shoulder at her. Then, he left, to manor-parts unknown. She thought that his room was somewhere on the level above hers, but she wasn't sure. She sighed, leaving for the library.

Once there in the much repaired room, she grabbed the latest volume of spells she was studying through, sat curled up in one of the chairs, and began to read. She paused only for a moment when she realized that it was necromantic spells she was reading up on, D's warning ringing in her ears, but she pushed on, telling herself that she knew when to stop.

Hours passed, and soon Lilah could hear the chirping of crickets outside the library's bow window. She stood, stretched, and decided—though she often loathed to leave the house at night without D or L.H., dhampire or not—to go out into the garden. She would practice her ice spell on an already dying shrub she had spotted before she and D had begun sparring, and then retire for the night.

She arrived back in the field, leaving the book behind in the library, pleased to find that it was lined with very small garden lamps. Whoever had decorated D's home—because she had a hard time picturing D doing it himself—had done very well. She accessed her dhampire sense of smell to catch the scent of the many flowers surrounding her, and sighed. She quickly disregarded them again, before the many scents gave her a headache. Clearing her mind, she began.

She shouted the word for the ice spell that she had committed to memory, aiming at the half-brown shrub. An icicle, parallel to the ground and about six inches long, formed in front of her. With a sweeping move of her arm, she sent it flying right into the heart of the shrub. She grinned wildly, proud of herself. Then, focusing once more, she repeated her actions.

She did this countless more times, breathing heavily again because magic took every bit as much strength as any physical labor might. She was completely focused and only vaguely aware that another hour or so had passed. She was so focused that the crickets, which she could hear dhampire senses or not, no longer intruded upon her. She was completely unaware of anything other than herself, her spell, and the shrub. Which is why the voice that sounded behind her startled her short of a scream.

She whirled and stared, wide-eyed. A man…a vampire, she added mentally…stood there, only feet away. He was grinning congenially at her, as if she might sell him ice cream or something. It was like he had appeared from nowhere, because she had not heard him part the bushes and shrubs he must have parted to arrive where he was. But that was not what stopped Lilah short.

His facial structure…his long black hair, pulled artfully back into a ponytail that lay on his back...the color of his eyes…with the exception of his almost unnaturally towering height and his thin, small mustache, he looked so much like D! He was dressed in a black nobleman's outfit, wearing a blue stone much like D's and a cape that was lined with red. He bowed slightly. Lilah backed away a few steps, opening her mouth to shout for D.

"Stop," her intruder said, holding up a hand.

She couldn't form the words she needed…like they had been obstructed on the way out. The vampire smiled.

"I've gone to great trouble to conceal my presence from my son, just to speak with you. I'll thank you not to call for him," he said.

Lilah closed her mouth. Immediately, it began to quiver, searching through the many names she knew for the man before, trying to find the one that she knew was the name D called him by. When she arrived at it finally, it fell from her mouth like a rock.

"Dracula."

He smiled. "Oh, good. So D has mentioned me. Well that saves me some trouble. And you would be Miss Lilah, right?"

Words were still not coming to Lilah. She opened her mouth and a horrible, nervous squeak escaped. Dracula found that amusing. She closed it again, chiding herself for her lack of control. When she started to speak again, she sounded much better, stronger.

"What do you want?"

"Ah, well, as I stated, I've come to see you, my dear."

"Why?"

He laughed. "So demanding."

Lilah took a threatening step forward, preparing herself to launch an icicle right through the Sacred Ancestor's heart. He laughed.

"You're good, child…but not that good. Don't waste my time, and risk your neck."

"I don't care for what you have to say…either leave…or fight."

Dracula laughed again. Apparently, she was quite a little jester for him.

"Hmmm…I remember hearing about one of D's…"hunts." A vampire he was fighting, and you'll probably recognize this as soon as I say it, said something that rings quite true…but never as true as it does with myself," he said, moving ever so slightly into an attack stance himself.

"And that would be?"

"He said, 'Taking on a vampire a night is a mission for morons and fools. Which are you?'"

He came at her then. Lilah had just enough time to move and to have the thought that it was ridiculous that the Sacred Ancestor couldn't come up with his own lines pass through her head. She turned, returning to her old fireball spell, and launched one. When the fireball connected with the bush, she saw that Dracula was nowhere in sight. She gasped, looking around. In less than a human blink of an eye, he was in front of her. She had no time to react. He pulled back his arm and threw her back several feet as easily as swatting a fly. Lilah landed on her back with a groan. When she looked up at him, he shook his head.

"Stay down, girl. You're no match," he said.

Lilah sat up, but indeed stayed upon the ground. She knew the truth of it now. If he wanted to kill her…there was nothing she could do about it. She was much better now than she had been when she had first become a dhampire, but still not on the same playing field as Dracula.

"What do you want?" she conceded.

His grin was like one a snake might possess. "I came by to ask how you are feeling, dear, that's all. I heard of your run-in with the aiders."

Lilah blinked several times before she answered.

"How I'm feeling? I'm alive, aren't I?" she snapped.

"My, my, and I was only concerned for you. Tell me, did D tell you what he had to do to get The Prophet to heal you?"

Now Lilah was on her feet.

"How do you know about that? Have you been following D?"

"Yes, but that's not how I know. Who do you think sent him the letter telling him of The White World?"

"Why?"

"Did he tell you, Lilah?"

Lilah shivered at the voice Dracula had uttered her name with. It was a cold, commanding, demonic voice. And Lilah knew from that alone that there was no way she couldn't answer him.

"He had to tell him an absolute truth."

"Ah," Dracula said, nodding. "But did D tell you what the truth he told him was?"

Lilah opened her mouth…and found that she had no answer. The words were not stuck this time, rather that D had simply not told her. She closed her mouth again, her eyes scanning the ground. Dracula laughed once more, quite in a jovially mood evidently.

"You should really find out, shouldn't you?"

And he was gone. Just that fast. Lilah had no idea how he had done it…but he was gone. But she didn't dwell on it long. On a charge, she rushed back into the main hall of the house, directing her voice skyward.

"D! D, where are you!" she bellowed at the top of her lungs.

When no reply, nor D himself, came, she yelled for him again. And again. And again.

Finally, emerging from the left-side staircase, L.H. came, shaking his head.

"What is all this about, girlie?" he said, approaching her slowly like she had lost her mind.

Lilah supposed she might look quite wild. She knew her braided hair was coming loose in wisps and that her eyes must be flashing crimson. She was heaving with anger, and she had not noticed. She calmed herself long enough to speak with L.H.

"I was just attacked, L.H.," she said, crossing her arms.

His eyes bulged. "Are you okay?"

"Oh, yeah, fine. But don't you want to know by whom? Go on…ask."

"I'm going to regret this," he muttered. Louder, he added, "Who?"

"Dracula."

It looked like she had slapped him…or had suddenly stripped off all her clothes and stood stark naked in front of him…or both. When the former parasite had come back to his sense, he gasped for a moment, looking for the words.

"Are you sure?"

"Pretty damn."

"Why?"

"Don't really know, but I have a hunch that it has to do with that absolute truth that D told The Prophet. Don't happen to know what that was, do you, L.H.?"

He froze. Instantly, she knew that he knew.

"No…" he said.

"You're a horrible liar, L.H. What did he tell him, damn it!"

L.H. shook his head, holding up his hands defensively.

"Look. It's not my place to tell you. Ask D. That's who you need this answer from."

It was as if Fate had decided that it would start lining up perfect cues. No sooner had those words left L.H.'s mouth had D entered from the main doors of the manor. He looked upon the scene calmly.

"Back from the village, I see," L.H. said quickly, moving towards the stairs. "Not a moment too soon. Bye!"

And he was off, rushing upstairs. Leaving Lilah to turn her anger on D. Which she did.

* * *

End Notes: Okay, slight cliffy there. Man, this chapter was much longer than I had intended it to be. But I really liked how it turned out. Now, I'm not going to give you the next chapter title…another spoiler alert…just a little. But, I've got two fun facts for you.

Fun Fact Number One: During the scene with Lilah in the garden at night…all the way to the end with Dracula, I was listening to Seal's "Kiss From a Rose." Read the lyrics sometime, I felt like this really fit. And it doesn't hurt that this is, like, one of my favorite songs ever.

Fun Fact Number Two: During the last moment when D walked in, Christina Aguilera's "Fighter" started to play. I thought this was flat out funny.

Please review!


	21. Confession

A/N- IMPORTANT!!!! Okay, so this chapter has a rating of M, for some very mature content. Otherwise, I hope everyone enjoys this next one! And thanks for all the great reviews on the last one!

* * *

Chapter 21- Confession

D stared calmly at Lilah, not even blinking. Lilah, for her part, was quite unnerved. D entered into the manor fully, shutting the door behind him.

"D!" she said, taking a step towards him.

He said nothing, waiting for what must have looked like an oncoming, destructive storm. Lilah took several deep breaths, reminding herself that D was not deaf. She was only a foot or so away from him. She didn't need to yell. Then, she remembered that she was angry with him and really didn't care.

"What did you tell that Prophet, D, to have him heal me?" she demanded.

Now D looked wary. He stepped past her, but she moved right in front of him once more.

"It is unimportant," he said, and not without a hint of annoyance.

"There you're wrong. I was just attacked over whatever the hell it was you told that damn Prophet!"

"Who attacked you?"

He was trying to deflect the subject. Well, he wasn't going to get off that easily.

"Now _that_ is the very definition of unimportant! D, I'm not going to tell you who the attacker was, but what I will tell you is that he could have killed me. And he could have killed me over this one damn thing that I don't know about. Now, I don't know how you would feel about this, but it pisses me off to think that I might not have even known why I had died. Tell me what the hell you told him, dhampire!"

"No," D said, firmly.

He moved to walk past her once more. This time, Lilah didn't move to get in front of him. Instead, she ducked and swept her feet around, knocking the unsuspecting dhampire to the floor. He looked up at her, a strange light in his eyes. She stood over him, placing a foot on one of his shoulders.

"I don't want it to be like this, D. Just _tell_ me! What could be so horrible that you can't just give me this one little piece of mind?"

D's response was to grab Lilah by her offending ankle and throw her from him. She landed on the stone floor hard with a groan. She lost no time, rolling over and jumping to her feet.

"Stop this," D said, his voice guttural.

But Lilah was lost in her anger. She dove at him, raining blow after blow, kick after kick, on him. Some connected and some he dodged. Finally, he whirled her about, holding her arms behind her back. His breathing was raspy, harsh. Hers wasn't much better. She groaned against the grip he had on her. He was not going easy on her, and if he tightened his hands any more she was sure her wrists would break. She struggled, but he was not letting go until he was sure that she was going to stop fighting. Finally, she stopped. He relaxed his grip a fraction…but it was enough.

Lilah hooked one of her legs in between his and pulled, knocking him flat on his back. She got her wrist free, coming down to straddle him. She held his arms above his head, pressing them hard on the floor.

"Just…tell…me!" she hissed into his face.

Never, in her entire life of being either human or dhampire, had she ever felt such anger coursing through her. It made her strong and somewhere deep inside, it scared her. But she would not stop until she had her answer.

"You must know? So badly that you would attack me…how far would you go to get this answer?" D growled.

She huffed, indignant. "Do you think that I _want_ to be this angry at you? I just want to know what you told that Prophet about me that was so damn important that your…that I would be attacked! I have a right to know!"

D was looked straight into her eyes, the light in his eyes fading. He looked sad…but then again, he always looked sad. This was different, Lilah noted. This sadness was hurting him. He looked away from her suddenly.

"I had to tell the Prophet an absolute truth," he said.

"I know that, D. What was it?" she asked, a good deal more calmly than before.

"It had to be a truth he couldn't dispute. I told him…"

Lilah let go of his arms, sitting back on him. "What? What was it?"

He was still not looking at her. And now, he closed his eyes.

"I told him that…I loved you."

Lilah's heart had finally, completely stopped. She was almost sure of it. Except of the fact that she was still alive, in a sense.

"Oh," she gasped out.

D had still not turned to look at her. Lilah stared down at him, lost in her own thoughts. Somewhere in all of them, she realized that she was still straddling him.

"Oh!" she exclaimed, sliding off to the floor.

D stood so fast that even Lilah did not catch the movement. His back was to her, and she stared up at him.

"I…" he began, letting himself trail off.

She blinked a few times. Finally, she shook her head.

"Why didn't you tell me?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

"Because it cannot be."

And that was D's final word on the subject. He strode off, disappearing up the staircase. Lilah listened as his footsteps carried him upward to the manor's third level. She was frozen as she heard a door on that level open and close. All the while she simply sat there, too stunned to move.

…………………

It was several hours later, and Lilah had made a choice. She stood, nervous, outside of the door she knew to be D's bedroom. She had let her blonde hair out of its braid, causing it to cascade in waves to her hips. She knew that D was more than aware of her presence outside the door, just as she knew that he was still within the room. She sighed, putting her hand on the doorknob. Without a knock, without invitation, she entered D's bedroom.

There was a momentary shock for Lilah before she closed the door behind her, which would take away all light but that of the moon's within the room. She had always envisioned D's bedroom as this huge, grand palace of a bedroom. But it was quite average. The furnishings were few and not decorative. There were no mirrors in the room, of course. The moonlight came from a tiny window along the far wall of the room, at the far end of the room. The bed was large, but not obscenely so. More than comfortable enough for two. And upon the bed sat D, upright with his back against the headboard.

His eyes were closed, but Lilah knew that he was not sleeping. She shut the door, casting the two dhampires in shadows. But their eyesight being that of the night, it made little difference. She stepped towards the right side of the bed, the side closest to her. D sat in the very middle of the bed and made no motion to indicate that he was even aware of her presence.

"D?" she asked.

His eyes opened slowly, but he did not turn them upon her, nor did he answer. She continued.

"D…I've been thinking about what you said…about how it could never be…and I think you're wrong," she said.

His eyes closed again, and he sighed. "Lilah…"

"No," she said. "No, hear me out. I think…that something happened or something that made you think that you didn't deserve to be loved. But I know that you've been with women before…you've told me as much. And you might have even loved some of them. I don't know what happened. But I don't care. That's not why I'm up here."

D turned to look at her. She had untied her top to reveal some of her cleavage. She was breathing so that her chest heaved. Lilah felt bad for that…she honestly wasn't meaning to.

"I'm here to let you that whatever happened…doesn't matter. Each love brings with it its own experiences. I don't think it's fair that you've started denying yourself this. So…" she said.

From the belt at her waist, she unsheathed the tiny dagger that she owned. Moving quickly so D did not have time to protest, she straddled him, holding herself up so that her chest was even with his face.

"Lilah…What…?" he said, staring at her.

She brought the dagger across her chest, just above one of her breasts, a crimson line following it. D gasped and pressed his back harder up against the backboard. She could already feel the change in him, and see it as well. His muscles were tense, fighting what the scent of her blood was doing to him. His eyes were glowing crimson now, and his fangs were beginning to slide down from their hiding spots.

"Do it," she whispered. "I know you won't harm me…it's safe with me, D. I'm a dhampire…like you. Hurry…I may not heal as fast as you, but I will still heal quickly. Drink, D. Do it."

She had discarded the dagger to the floor now. She slipped one of her hands behind his head, gently pulling him forward, using her other hand for balance. He resisted, but the closer she got him, the more it faded. Finally, he was so close that the scent was too much for him. He latched on to the cut, sucking at it.

She moaned, arching her back into him. One of his arms slipped around her waist while the other pressed into her back, holding her against him. Just as Lilah began to get dizzy, he broke away, falling back against the headboard, his breath coming in huffs.

She looked at him, not quite knowing what he would do next. She knew what she wanted him to do, but she also allowed for the possibility that he would be angry with her for making him drink. She looked at him as he rested his head against the board. His eyes were closed, and he seemed to be savoring the taste of her.

Suddenly, they flashed open, the crimson light brighter than she had ever seen it. She gasped as he moved her, more quickly than she could follow, beneath him. There was a moment where he stopped, hovering over her, with his hand stroking her face. He let it trail downwards and back up several times, looking at her as if he had never seen her before. Then, with a growl escaping his lips, his hands moved down and tore at her tunic top, leaving it in shreds. She had removed her underthings before deciding to come to him, first for the purpose of taking a shower. However, as she made the decision that she would come and offer herself to D, she had hastily thrown on some clothes. With the top gone, her top half lay exposed. And it wasn't long before her bottom half was as well. Somewhere, at the very, very, very far back of her mind, she giggled at the thought that the outfit she had had on was now completely ruined. But she didn't get a chance to dwell on that for too long.

Her hands were exploring him now. She had removed much of his clothing, needing his help with some of it, and now they both lay exposed to one another. She trailed her hands over his chest, relishing the feel of his smooth, cool-to-the-touch skin. After a few moments, she allowed her hands to drop below his waist, to touch something else, and he gasped.

He was kissing her now. All over, pressing hard on her lips and sliding down her breasts and…lower. He stayed out of her eyesight for a little while, and she felt his teeth and tongue against her. To her own shock, she could feel her own fangs sliding slowly down. She gasped and arched. He placed a hand on her abdomen, holding her gently down. Finally, a tingly heat, starting at her nether region and spreading out, engulfed her, and she cried out, both moaning and murmuring his name.

He brought himself back to her, pressing again his lips to hers, exploring her as she tried to kiss back. Her hands wrapped about his neck and ran up and down his back, scratching as well as just touching. He groaned and growled, clearly enjoying it.

Finally, he positioned himself at her, ready to find his own pleasure within her. He paused, looking down at her. His eyes seemed to ask her if she was ready.

In truth, she was nervous. She was not a virgin, but none of the few guys she had been with had been quite D's…well, in D's league. He was quite endowed. But she pushed that aside. He moved to enter her, but she stopped him. Had they not been in the middle of the sex act, the look he gave her then would have made her laugh, it was almost so pitiful.

"Do you love me?" she whispered to him with a smile.

He blinked. Then, he smiled a small, genuine smile.

"Say it for me."

D moaned, and the sound sent a thrill of electricity down Lilah's spine. He leaned forward and kissed her sweetly and deeply on the mouth. When he pulled back and repositioned himself, he smiled at her.

"I love you," he said as he entered.

She gasped and was instantly lost in the motion. She felt herself rising to the golden moment again, more than aware that his proclamation of love to her had given her a head start. The heat spread through her again as she moaned, grasping onto him. She was still tingling when D gasped, moving himself deeper than he had been, finding his own pleasure. He moaned and all but fell on top of her. After only a moment, he rolled to her right, kissing her as he went.

She smiled, still lost in the tingly aftereffects. Then, suddenly, they became stronger, rocking her body. She gasped and moaned, unable to control it…and the love-making had stopped. Suddenly, she recognized and named the desire within her. Lilah, the part of her still thinking clearly, despaired, thinking, "Oh no, not again!"

But suddenly, D lay over her. She looked up at him, pleading with him. He pressed his wrist to her mouth. She protested, not wanting to hurt him.

"Drink. It will drive you insane if you don't…" he said.

Unable to resist with such permission being given, Lilah felt her fangs extend and she bit into D's wrist. He groaned, leaning into her. She drank, holding his wrist to her mouth, until finally clarity returned to her thoughts. She gasped, breaking free, and fell back against her pillows. She looked at D, who seemed unhurt by her feeding. She could feel his free hand stroking the top of her head. Before she could even protest, sleep took her.

* * *

End Notes: Okay, I promise, if this seemed like a divergence from the storyline, then we'll return next chapter. Also, this will probably be the only chapter with the higher rating, for the heads up. Well, I hope you liked this chapter. Please review!

Next Chapter: Onward

Fun Fact: The single song I listened to through this entire chapter was Hinder's "Get Stoned." If you don't know it, please, please go listen…you'll crack up!


	22. Family

A/N- Thanks for the great reviews everyone! I was actually worried that that had happened kind of…well, I don't know how to put into words why I was worried. But, everyone enjoyed it, so on we move!

* * *

Chapter 22- Family

It was still night when Lilah's eyes opened again. She was on her back, still nude but now covered by the comforter on the bed. Her head slowly rolled to the right with her eyes falling on D. His own eyes were still closed, and, by the way his chest was rising and falling, he was asleep. She smiled, noting how oddly human he looked, breathing a little heavier. She could feel his arm resting around herself, and she moved her body against his, snuggling closer.

She rested her head on his chest, trying her best not to wake him. She could hear his heartbeat, slower than a human's but matching the pace of her own. The rhythm was soothing, and Lilah soon felt her eyes drifting shut again.

D shifted in his sleep, causing Lilah to move away from her tiredness. She looked up at him and gasped. His eyes were open, and he was looking back down at her. She shrank away a little.

"I'm sorry," she whispered, and she didn't know why. "Did I wake you?"

"No," he said, just as softly.

He continued to stare at her, never blinking. She smiled and rested her head once again on his chest. She could feel his hand around her, stroking her shoulder slowly. She shifted, snuggling closer again—something, as she thought about it now, she never thought she would ever do. Her eyes fell, slowly drifting back into sleep. However, in the little moonlight in the room, she caught sight of a small, thin line across the top of her breasts. She blushed, remembering pulling the dagger across her skin and the line of her own blood that followed...all for the purpose of tempting D. Now, the line was still in the process of fading. It would be gone in another hour. Lightly, she brought her hand to the mark.

"Oh, D!" she said, sitting bolt upright and burying her face in her drawn-up knees. "I'm sorry!"

"Why?" he asked in his usual way, sitting up slowly beside her.

She looked at him, all too aware of the tears forming in her eyes. She moved her hand, showing him the healing mark. He stared at it for a moment before moving his eyes back to hers. She sniffled.

"I-I made you drink!" she said. "I'm so sorry! I shouldn't have done that. I mean, I practically forced—"

D chuckled. It was low and no human would have been able to hear it, but Lilah did. And it left her shocked. She blinked at him, hugging the comforter to herself. D brought a hand up and rested it lightly on her cheek. He shook his head.

"Do you really believe that I couldn't have stopped if I had wanted to? You forced me into nothing, Lilah…you only made it easier. And for that…I'm grateful," he said, pulling her back down to lie beside him.

"You're not…mad at me?" she said, whispering again.

She had her head on his chest again, looking up at him. He shook his head. Elated, Lilah wrapped herself tightly around him. She held him for a moment, feeling his cool touch on her back, before she let go, resting on her side, facing him. D was on his back, and Lilah hoped that it didn't unnerve him to have her staring at him like she was. But he didn't seem annoyed, and for the longest, the two simply lay there, saying nothing and enjoying each other's company.

He was so strange, Lilah thought. So handsome, so powerful, but so alone. Lilah reached out, slowly placing a hand on his chest. He watched the motion, but said nor did anything against it. Her eyes were still firmly on his stoic face. Then, a thought struck her.

"D…?" she asked hesitantly.

"Yes?"

"D…tell me about your family."

His eyes drifted to her face, confusion lightly gracing his features. Finally, he laid his head back, eyes firmly placed on the ceiling. A scoff escaped his lips, and he shook his head.

"I told you who my father was," he said simply.

"You told me his name. That's a lot different than learning about a family. D, what was your childhood like? Who was your mother? I want to know everything," Lilah replied.

He didn't answer for a long moment, and Lilah feared that she had touched on some sore subject. Finally, his eyes drifted closed. Her brow furrowed, and she rested her cheek against him again, sighing sadly.

"My father and my mother met while the vampires were still at their height," he began, never opening his eyes.

Lilah's head snapped upwards at him, and she listened in rapt attention. He continued.

"I think he might have genuinely loved her. Not at first…at first she was only a means to an end…A way to eradicate the weaknesses of his species. But he fell in love with her, I think, and I'm told that she loved him beyond comprehension."

"Told?" Lilah asked.

He continued without answering her. It was almost like that if he stopped, then he would never continue the story. His eyes ever closed, he looked like this story was sapping every bit of his strength.

"He called her Mina, but I don't think that was her real name. No one ever knew her real name because she never bothered to correct him. I am told that she had hair as black as his or mine, and bright, orb-like blue eyes that looked like a calm sea. She had been taken from her home, in efforts to stop my father from killing the villagers. She had offered herself up to him, in exchange for her home's and family's lives. But he treated her well. I've read some of the letters he came to write to her later. He always began them 'My Dearest Mina…' Three years later, she became pregnant. I'm told that there were complications…and that my father was nowhere to be found. He arrived shortly after I was born…right after my mother had died."

Lilah felt her eyes tear up, and instantly felt guilty for bringing the matter up. This was obviously a subject that D avoided for good reason. The sadness that pervaded every word was almost too much to bear.

"I'm sorry," she found herself saying for the third time. "I shouldn't—"

But she stopped. She chided herself, suddenly. Of course she should have brought this up! She refused to remain lovers with anyone she didn't know a single thing about! If lover is still how D wanted her…She shook the thought away and addressed him again.

"How old are you, D?"

"Four thousand, give or take."

Somehow, this didn't surprise her. He looked only a little over twenty-one, but the way he handled absolutely anything hurled at him…four thousand was an acceptable answer any way she looked at it.

"How was your childhood?" she asked. "Was it happy? Or should I just assume it was Hell?"

He actually laughed a little at that. "A little of both," he answered.

"How so?"

"Father lavished me with attention and training. I was his son, and, to my knowledge, he was proud of me. I had no knowledge of being a part of a bigger scheme. But the other nobles that Father kept at court…to them, I was a dhampire bastard doing nothing but spoiling the bloodline of the Sacred Ancestor. I was seventeen before I learned anything of the reason or circumstances under which I was born. After that, I began to closely examine every part of my world…and I didn't like what I saw."

"So, you became a vampire hunter for hire?" Lilah guessed.

He nodded once. Silence fell again between them. Lilah was preoccupied processing the information she had learned. She couldn't fathom what D was thinking about. Finally, he looked down at her.

"And your family? If you want to learn about mine, then I want to know of yours," he said.

It was so sudden and ridiculous to her that D would want to know, let alone care, about her family life that Lilah laughed out loud. He stared at her, apparently trying to understand the joke. Finally, when she caught her breath again, she sighed.

"My family? Not much to tell, really. I mean, you were at Grandmother Leila's funeral. She lived with us in her last five or six years. I'd been close with her my whole life. She's the reason I knew anything of hunting or the like. Father, who was her son, wanted me to know none of it, but she, in cahoots with my mother, overrode his decision. Granted, I didn't learn much. I can fire a gun like nobody's business, but nothing too big. Anything big tended to offset me. My family used to laugh themselves sick at watching a bigger gun throw me on my ass."

D smiled at her as she paused, the memory causing her laughter to rise again. She kept it under control and continued.

"Well, after Grandmother died, we left that town. Dad, finally able to get his way, made sure I got apprenticed with the town midwife…who was also a healer. Not a doctor, mind you. She handled all the minor stuff, while the doctor of the town handled anything major. But, as I told you, the doctor was useless, so that's not quite right either. The midwife, a woman on up in her years, died and left me to take over for her. Which, by then, I was well trained enough to do so without bother."

"What of your parents?" D asked.

Lilah smiled a bit sadly. "Well, they were both dead by the time I was midwife. I lost them both about four years after Grandmother died. I lived with the midwife then," Lilah answered.

"I'm sorry," D said, and Lilah believed he meant it. "How did they die?"

"One to illness, before the other one died in a bar fight."

"Your father died in a bar fight?"

Lilah laughed. "God, no! Mom died in the bar fight!"

At this, D looked shocked, which made Lilah laugh harder.

"Mom and Dad owned a bar in the new town. Dad got sick one day, got worse, and then he died. It was hard on all of us. As for Mom, by all rights she didn't mean to get killed. She was trying to break up the fight between these two ruffians…one thing led to another…and I'm orphaned. I sold the bar soon after...couldn't take still owning it."

"You seemed to have taken it well nevertheless," D commented.

"Oh, no, I was a wreck. I thought my whole world was over…or worse, really. But that was a long time ago, or so it seems, and I've made my peace with it. They're all in a better place now, anyway."

D blinked at her. He seemed to be trying to figure something out…and failing at it. She smiled at him, shaking her head.

"But…if you want to comfort me…" she said.

He still looked confused. She sighed and pulled herself up over him.

"I'm not going to be the initiator all the time," she said, pressing her lips lightly to his.

With a soft chuckle, he moved into her, wrapping his arms around her. He shifted out from under her, pinning her underneath him. She was the one chuckling now, not daring, nor really wanting, to remove herself from his embrace.

* * *

End Note: Okay, sorry for the talk in this chapter. And, if it seemed pointless, I promise that there is a purpose! So, yeah, I'm also sorry about giving you the wrong chapter title again. I got to the end and decided to cut off some and put it in the next chapter (this one was dragging on a bit) and had to change the title. So, the next chapter will be called 'Onward.' Promise. Well, please review!


	23. Onward

A/N- O…MG, such a lot wait. Okay, so I very much apologize. I was without internet for a while, and then I started trying to finish off some of my other fics…and this one just kind of got lost in the mix. Oh, and if anyone reading is also a Harry Potter fan, I have a new HP related poll on my profile. Please drop by and vote!

* * *

Chapter 23- Onward

It was morning when Lilah awoke next, which was with a stretch and a yawn. She rolled over and paused. She was alone in D's bed, only a pile of clothes with a note on top of them lay in his place. She picked up the note and grinned. It stated that he had gotten her the outfit and was now currently showering. It was strange to think of D showering, knowing of the effects of water on a dhampire's body, but Lilah shrugged it off and pulled on the top half of her clothing. That was all she had accomplished by the time D had returned to the room.

"Morning," Lilah said with a bright smile.

"Good morning," D replied evenly.

Lilah's brow arched, ever so slightly. She had not expected him to treat her differently…that would have been too strange for her. But, in private, why not spare her something a little more than just his usual tone?

"Is something wrong?" Lilah asked, keeping her still unclothed bottom-half covered.

Being partially naked while having a serious conversation was just undignified…so was dressing in the middle of one. So, Lilah simply sat there awaiting D's answer. D, for his part, had moved to stand at the foot of the bed.

"Who attacked you, Lilah? Last night. You haven't told me," he said.

Involuntarily, her eyes widened. She had not meant to keep such a thing from him for so long…how could she just spill the truth now?

"Um…" she faltered.

Now it was D that arched a brow. Without so much as a blink or a change in his voice, he repeated his question.

"Lilah, who was it?"

"Don't be mad…I was going to tell you, sooner. Really, it's just that we—"

"Lilah."

She met his eyes and froze. There was no anger there, but she could definitely see the potential for some. Finally, she closed her eyes.

"Dracula. Your father attacked me, D. And I am _sorry_ that didn't tell you right away," she whispered, knowing his dhampire hearing would more than hear her.

When she dared open her eyes next, she saw what she had feared the most. D's eyes were darker, almost glowing crimson. She pressed her back against her pillows and curled up her legs. Who was his anger towards? She opened her mouth to ask him just that, but paused. She would wait for him to make the first move. She would not risk angering him further.

This is not how she had wanted this morning to go.

So Lilah sat, patiently awaiting D's response for several, horribly long moments. All the while she saw his eyes grow darker and darker and more crimson. Finally, without a single syllable, he turned, his traveler's cloak sweeping the bedpost as he did so, and strode from the room, shutting the door so hard that parts of it cracked just a little.

Lilah stood and finished dressing, telling herself that she would not cry. She had fought and held her own with D just the night before…and had taken a hugely dangerous chance in coming to him. She was strong, and she would not let his silence, his anger, hurt her. But no matter that she defeated her tears, she could not shake herself of the gloomy sadness his reaction had caused her. Once she was dressed, she left D's room—being a little gentler with the door than D had—and made her way to her own room. There, she stripped once again and found her way into a nice, hot shower.

That was when the tears came. Perhaps the water had coaxed them on, but Lilah had lost the fight against them. They did not last long, as she chastised herself for giving in. She sniffled, finished her shower…taking a little longer than she had originally wanted to…and stepped out. She rubbed a black towel over her hair and made her blonde locks a braid once more. Re-dressed, she made her ways downstairs to the manor's library. If D was not going to be speaking with her, than she would occupy herself by doing something useful.

However, when she opened the ornate door to the library, ready for blessed solitude, she stopped short, a smirk on her face. Solitude was not to be hers this morning. Sitting at a desk whose surface had been cleared for other purposes, was L.H., a screwdriver in hand, bent over what looked like the pieces of the blaster he had acquired while fighting the aiders. He turned when he heard the door open and had a smirk of his own for Lilah. Internally she groaned.

"Good morning," she said, walking a little too purposefully to the bookshelf and withdrawing one of the library's many spellbooks.

"Good morning," L.H. replied, but the greeting was loaded.

Lilah sat down in one of the wing-backed chairs and opened the book. The creak of the desk's matching chair told her, without looking, that L.H. had turned completely around to face her. She peaked over the open book, a brow arched at the clearly expectant look on the ex-parasite's face. She sat the book down, open, over her lap and sighed.

"Let me have it," she said.

"Oh, but I thought D had already done that?"

Ouch. Okay, she had walked into that. She grinned a half grin that was in no way meant for mirth. After her morning with D, she was in no mood for L.H.'s usual teasings. She dropped her hand out of sight and, when it rose back up, she hurled an extra small ice stake at L.H.—deliberately missing him, of course. He jumped nonetheless and furrowed his brow.

"Not the reaction I expected. What's up, chickie? I thought you'd be walking on Cloud Nine after last night. Hell, I expected songbirds to follow you in here," he said, standing.

He grabbed his blaster—looking a bit more modified now and bigger—and holstered it. He made his way over to her and plopped down in the chair across from her own. She sighed and put her head to the side.

"It's nothing. I'm sorry…I'm just…I don't know," she said, resting her head in her hands.

"Ah," L.H. said, a bit of a playful smile tugging at his lips. "D not any good?"

"Oh!" Lilah said, picking up the book and smacking him with it.

"Ow!" he exclaimed, ducking under the blow.

Lilah couldn't help but laugh at the sheepish look he gave her next. L.H. joined in the laugh for a moment, before going oddly serious.

"Okay, really, what's wrong, kiddo? All jokes aside," he said, leaning forward.

Lilah shook her head. "I told D who it was that attacked me."

"And?"

"And I just did it this morning."

"Oh."

"Yeah."

L.H. shook his head and patted her knee. She waved her hand dismissively.

"I'm okay…for now. He just walked out. I don't know where he went. So, I'm going to work on my spells," Lilah said, lifting the book again.

"Well, that's not any good," L.H. said, standing.

Lilah looked up at him in confusion.

"Being by yourself only brings on more thoughts…You'll only think more about this morning and put yourself in an even worse mood if you just sit here and study. Come on. Let's go out back and spar a bit," L.H. said, offering her a hand.

Lilah set her book on the table beside her and took his proffered hand. She stared at him for a moment, smiling. He was a good friend, who had proven that he truly cared about her. Such people were so rare on the Frontier.

"What?" he asked.

"You're a good guy, you know that?" Lilah asked.

L.H. put a finger to his lips and shushed her. "Don't spread it around."

She laughed as the two made their way out into the back yards of the manor.

They spent hours in the garden, alternating between training practices. They had started out with hand-to-hand, but when Lilah downed L.H. in a matter of moments—she had been training with D, after all—L.H. quickly suggested that they switch forms. Lilah, with a laugh, had agreed. The next training that had followed had been L.H. trying to hit Lilah with his blaster…Lilah blocking all she could with her spells as shields, which were turning out to be quite effective at this task. Twilight had come and gone as they had switched again to Lilah trying to hit L.H. with her spells. The former parasite was quite good at dodging as it turned out, as Lilah had not been able to do so for quite some time. Finally, a bit aggravated with her misses, she threw an ice stake, larger than she had meant it to be, and clipped L.H.'s arm. The force of the spell had also put him off his feet, and he landed with a hard thud onto the ground.

"Oh, God, L.H., are you okay?" she asked, rushing over and kneeling down beside him.

He answered by uncovering the spot that the ice stake had connected. It had cut clean through the sleeve of his jacket, and the shirt underneath, leaving a three inch long gash on his arm. Lilah bit her lip.

"I'm sorry…I didn't mean—"

L.H. chuckled. "I should hope not! What was up, thinking about D's storming off this morning?"

Lilah shook her head as she placed her hands over the cut. "No, not really. I was aggravated with missing."

"Wow. Remind me not to piss you off."

"I'm sorry! Now quiet, I have to concentrate. Well, at least I get to finally practice that healing spell," she said, closing her eyes.

"Yay, I rock," L.H. muttered as Lilah shushed him.

She took several deep breaths, drawing on her magic as much as she could. Then, as per following the instructions that had been in the spellbook, she imagined pushing a piece of that magic down her arms, into her hands, and over the cut. Then, she imagined the magic knitting the skin back together. After a few moments, L.H. exclaimed in surprised.

"You did it!" he said as Lilah opened her eyes to confirm it.

His skin was as good as new, not even a scar was present. Only the clothes still showed any sign of the cut that had been. L.H. sat up and examined it a bit closer.

"Awesome," he said.

"Very well done," D's voice sounded from beside them.

Lilah whirled and all but jumped to her feet. L.H. rose a bit more slowly.

"D," was all she could force out, despite the millions of things she felt she needed to say.

D was not meeting her eyes, which she did not like. She wanted…several things. She wanted to apologize again, then to rage at him with anger that she did not know she had been feeling. After all, how heartless do you have to be to leave a girl alone after sleeping with her? She wanted to cry again and scream and beg his forgiveness, all in one. But he would not meet her eyes, which forced her to silence. Finally, still without looking at her, he spoke.

"We should feed, Lilah. Would you please accompany me?"

"Yes," she found herself answering without hesitation.

She turned and excused herself from L.H., who waved her on. Lilah followed D into the woods beyond the manor silently. In fact, neither of them spoke as they walked—actually walked—to their usual feeding spot. It seemed to take forever to reach it, but finally, they arrived. They separated, temporarily, to catch their prey. They remained separate as they fed, both taking several rabbits apiece, before they finally came together to rest before the boulders in the small clearing.

D would still not meet her eyes, and it was making her angry and a tad bit worried. This silence needed to end, but both were too stubborn to make the first move. Lilah crossed her arms and looked, pointedly, away from him. She thought that it would be only fair that the one to walk out with not so much as a word this morning should be the one to speak. If he was angry or disappointed with her, he should just be forward with it. Lilah dared peek at him with this thought.

All anger was gone, and there was no disappointment there. But why, then, would he not speak to her? Was it something else? Did he not…feel as he did? Lilah quickly dismissed this. Of all the emotionless, steady stares that D was a master of, love was one he could not hide. It was deep, hidden, but it was there in his eyes. He loved her still. She sighed, almost with relief. Had that really been a worry of hers? Apparently, as she found herself smiling a bit at him, it must have been. Finally, sick of the silence, Lilah decided to break it.

"Where did you go?" she asked.

D finally looked up at her, perhaps a little surprised. He took a long moment before he finally spoke.

"Here. I came here. I'm…sorry for my reaction this morning."

Lilah's smile grew a bit brighter. "It's okay. If you were angry at me, though, you could've told me."

"I wasn't."

Lilah blinked, surprised. "Then, why…?"

"I understood why you kept it from me for so long. I wasn't angry at you…only at myself, and him. I have tried, for untold years, to find him…and he is still the one who finds me first. Not only that…he has gotten through every safety I have put on this manor and threatens you. I couldn't abide it. I left. And I'm sorry."

Lilah shook her head and moved to sit beside him. "It's fine. I just…I thought the worst. But that doesn't matter. Everything is back to normal. Just don't…do that again, okay?"

He graced her with the smallest of smiles. "Okay."

Together, they rose and ran back to the manor. They arrived in what seemed like moments, thankful—as always anymore—that the manor looked unharmed. However, as they entered into the foyer of the building, they paused. Standing there, waiting for them it would seem, was L.H. He looked up as they entered, locking eyes with D. The dhampire exchanged a look with Lilah, then took two strides and stopped just before L.H.

"Another letter," the former-appendage bound creature said, holding up a wax-sealed letter, folded twice.

D took it, opened it, and read it in moments. At the end of it, he crushed it in his hand.

"What is it?" Lilah asked.

"Dracula. It's an invitation," D responded, moving to exit the foyer.

Lilah and L.H. looked at one another before following him up the hall.

"An invitation to what, D?' L.H. asked.

D walked right past the library, to the door at the end of the long marble hall. There, he threw open the pair of ornate, dark-stained wooden doors and strode inside. L.H. and Lilah followed, pausing just past the threshold.

The room was just as large as the library, only no books were to be found there. Instead, mounted and stacked everywhere there was space to do so were weapons. Hundreds and hundreds of weapons. Swords, daggers, guns, knives, staffs, and every other weapon one could think of, littered all about the room. D walked straight on, stopping at the wall with the small swords and daggers mounted upon it. He took down a simple dagger, unsheathed it, sheathed it once more, and tossed it to Lilah. She caught it and stared at it in wonder.

"I have my own dagger," she said.

"You'll need more," he said, tossing her one decorated with gold and pearls.

"D, wait! What are we doing?" L.H. asked as he caught a sword that D tossed at him.

"We're accepting the invitation. I am going to end this once and for all," the dhampire replied, not bothering with turning around.

Again, Lilah and L.H. exchanged looks. Lilah took a tentative step forward.

"D…Dracula sent you an invitation…this is a trap," she said.

"I know," he answered, still without turning.

"Then what the hell are you doing, D?" L.H. said.

Finally, D turned. He eyed both of his companions before finally speaking.

"I have spent years…_years_ hunting down my father, determined to end his and his people's reign. Never have I known his exact location. I have to take this chance."

He paused again, looking around. Finally, he locked eyes with Lilah.

"I won't ask you to follow me."

Lilah shook her head. "That's a stupid thing to say. This plan gives me a stomach ache, to be honest, but I'm going with you."

"Me too," L.H. said, shrugging. "As stupid as this whole thing is."

"Very well," D said, turning back to his weapon wall. "We'll prepare and leave. Immediately."

L.H. and Lilah nodded and turned to depart, both leaving to make their own preparations. As soon as they had cleared the room, L.H. turned to her.

"I have a very bad feeling about this."

* * *

End Notes: Okay, so what did everyone think? I had to do a lot of re-reading to get back into Lilah's character…which I hope I did successfully. Now, as to why I have slowed updates on this. The fact is, I'm trying to speed up finishing off some of my older fics. I was focusing on a Castlevania fic of mine, Untested, and I finally finished it off. Now, I'm working on two simultaneously, a Batman: The Animated Series fic called "Baby Makes Three" and a Darkwing Duck fic called "All Fall Down." As soon as "All Fall Down" is finished, this story will gain a bit more focus—don't worry, I only have five more chapters to do on All Fall Down. I'll try to get through them as quickly as possible. Anyway, just to let you know I haven't abandoned this fic. Please review!


	24. Fool for You

A/N- Well, the wait was a little bit longer again. NaNoWriMo and school kind of took over my life for a month or so. But I'm back, with a whole new chapter!

* * *

Chapter 24- Fool for You

Lilah was sure she had never, ever pushed Princess as hard as she was now. But the white mare had to be pushed to her limits to even hope to keep up with D's black stallion. Even L.H.'s horse was feeling the pressure, its brown hide sweating as he pushed it forward. But neither of them could keep up with D, who was clearly leading them. L.H., finally tired of trying to keep up with him, slowed his horse enough so that it was neck-in-neck with Princess. He turned to look at her, his eyes questioning. Lilah knew what his question was and could only shrug in answer.

After all, she knew D's mind no more than he did…and he had once been attached to him.

The night air was almost thick around them as they crossed this barren—almost; there were a few smattering of trees here and there—portion of the Frontier. Lilah found herself glad, for the first time, that dhampires' breathing was much less than that of a human's, because, even to her, this night seemed very suffocating. Wolves howled in the distance and unidentifiable creatures snarled in response. And, amazingly, none of this startled the horses. Of course, when two monsters and a former, appendage-inhabiting creature were your owners, it would figure that not much else would frighten you.

The ride was silent for the most part. The three did not try to shout over the rushing of wind to one another…although shouting would have probably not been necessary. Only the sound of hooves beating the ground and the clanking of various weapons in their saddlebags reached their ears. Finally, hours into their ride, Lilah had had enough of not knowing her destination. She whispered an apology into Princess's ear, then kicked her flanks to make her speed up. She was still at least half a horse behind D, but decided that was close enough.

"D! D, where are we going? How much farther?" she yelled.

D's head turned less than an inch in her direction, his long raven hair and travelling cloak flying in the wind their run was causing. It never ceased to amaze Lilah that D never lost his hat, but the wide-brimmed thing wasn't even moving.

"There's a castle. Not much farther," he said, not shouting, and that was it.

Lilah growled, seeing, for the first time, the evident strain he was putting on his black cyborg stallion. She shook her head.

"Our horses are getting tired, D! Even yours!"

She got no reply that time. She growled again and allowed Princess to fall back beside L.H.'s brown mare. He didn't even bother to ask her for what answer she got. So the ride continued in silence, Lilah's own blonde braid flying behind her. She saw, out of the corner of her eye, L.H. shiver, and felt sorry for him. He was now human, for all intents and purposes…and the wind must be just frigid for him. Being a dhampire, even though she was dressed in only black slacks and a thin, long-sleeved white blouse, she wasn't even feeling the cold…not really. Now that she was dwelling on it, it was kind of chilly for her.

After what seemed like a small eternity, a large, looming gray-brown castle came into view. Lilah blinked, again noting the similarity in its construction to the other castles she had seen since she had traveled with D. She heard L.H. scoff beside her and mutter, "The Wilhelmina House…typical."

Lilah opened her mouth to reply to this, remembering what D had told her about his own mother, but stopped as a bright blue light shone from in front of them. She looked ahead to see D remove his hand from the blue pendant that he wore around his neck. Moments later, their horses thundered across the lowered wooden draw bridge, and only then, once reaching the courtyard of the ancient castle, did they stop and dismount.

D took his horse by his reins and tied it to a nearby post for just such a purpose. L.H. mimicked this move, Lilah only stood there, stroking Princess's snout, and looking about the place. The courtyard was nothing out of the ordinary. Hay could be seen in a couple of its corners, a few hitching posts, and the walls looming high overhead. But it was this normalness that worried Lilah the most. D unsheathed his sword and without preamble headed straight into the castle. Lilah blinked, and followed.

"D! D, wait!" she hissed as they entered into the first hall.

She ran so that the two dhampires were walking shoulder to shoulder in the beautiful marbled halls with only their footsteps making sounds as they moved through. D did not turn towards her nor did he make any reply. She huffed and continued anyway.

"Isn't it strange?" she asked.

"What?" he finally answered as they exited one hall for another filled with eerily obscured and torn portraits.

"That this is the castle where your father is supposed to be, waiting for us, and that it isn't guarded in the least. That doesn't strike you as odd at all?" she asked.

"Toots has got a point," L.H. whispered from behind, his modified blaster out and held at the ready. Lilah mentally thanked him for the backup.

But D chose silence as his answer once more as they continued their search of the strangely deserted castle. They exited hall after hall, avoiding the smaller rooms, and continued at an almost constant pace…as if D knew exactly where his father would be. Which, Lilah reminded herself, might just be the case.

The echoing sounds of their footfalls did nothing to comfort her, and each step served only to create more tension within her. She had a horrible, gut-wrenching feeling that she just could not quell. She kept glancing back and forth between D and L.H. as they continued their steady pace, with the dhampire looking calm and the former appendage looking just as frazzled as she felt. In fact, Lilah was sure that if she happened to sneeze, L.H. might accidently blow her head off with the blaster. Sighing, she turned to D once more.

"This is a trap," she muttered. "A horrible trap…D, I can just _feel_ it. Let's leave, okay?"

D pushed opened a set of ornate—wooden or marble? Lilah couldn't tell—doors just ahead of the group and they entered a polish, darkly colored hall with a single, grand staircase reaching almost skyward in front of them. He stepped quickly into the room, and Lilah groaned.

"D, this is so obviously a trap," she stated once again, stepping in only half the paces he had—and he had almost reached the center of the huge, ballroom sized room.

"I think she's right, D. We should get out of here. You, more than any of us, know what your father is capable of…this is right up his alley," L.H. said, entering the room and moving to the far, far left of the room and the two dhampires.

D stopped, turning to face his companions. However, just as he did so, the doors slammed shut behind them, causing Lilah to nearly jump out of her skin.

"This isn't good," L.H. mumbled.

A deep throated chuckle encircled the room. Lilah's eyes were wide. Searching, they came to a rest on the staircase at the head of the room. There, with his own ebony hair flowing freely and his black and red cloak artfully folded over his shoulders and down, obscuring his feet, was the Sacred Ancestor, Dracula.

"Father," D hissed. "I've been searching for you."

Dracula chuckled once more as Lilah and L.H. both moved to stand on either side of D. The Vampire King rested a hand on the large banister to his right.

"I know, my son. I know that you've searched for me," he said.

D brandished his sword, taking a few steps forward, but Dracula held out a hand, palm up. Amazingly, D stopped. Lilah gasped. With a wicked smile, the Sacred Ancestor swept his arms open wide and suddenly they were not the only four occupying the room anymore. Looking much like the castle where Lilah had killed her first noble, they were surrounded by hordes and hordes of monsters. She summoned a fireball to one hand and pulled her dagger out and held it in other hand and huffed.

"I knew this was a trap," she said.

"Kill them," Dracula ordered, and the horded moved on them.

A blur of battle followed, blood and gore flying in every direction. Lilah could hear D's sword slicing through the flesh of monster after monster, and occasionally, through a small, brief gap between the monsters attacking her, she could even catch a glimpse of its silver flash in the room's dim light. Off to her left, she could hear L.H.'s blaster going nonstop against the creatures while she hurled spell after spell at her attackers, using the dagger mainly in defense. Several moments passed, and Lilah was sure that the three were now properly separated from one another, though still in the same room.

The only familiar form Lilah could see through the werewolves, reptilian monsters, and other, lesser nobles attacking her was Dracula, who stood, pompously smiling from his perch on the grand staircase. She knew that he would be D's destination. Sure enough, after sending a fireball clean through a lizard/human hybrid's chest, she saw D break through the crowd, sword poised for a clean strike, heading right up the stairs towards his father. She would have loved to help him, but she was now clearly on the other side of the room, and there was no hope of breaking through the creatures around her anytime soon. However, as she fended off another werewolf, stabbing it with her dagger—and thanking God that it was one made of silver—she heard D exclaim in surprise. Before she could turn her attention back to the staircase, strong arms encircled her from behind, restricting her movement.

"How lovely to see you again, Lilah," Dracula's voice said in her ear.

Her eyes widened to the size of saucers.

"D!" she screamed. "D, help!"

She tried her best to move her arms, to break free, but she knew her strength was nothing in comparison to the Sacred Ancestor's. the crowd of monsters cleared, giving D, who was still standing upon the staircase, a clear view of where his father was now.

"Lilah!" he yelled. His eyes were glowing a vibrant crimson as they locked upon her captor, and he shouted, "Let her go!"

Dracula laughed, squeezing Lilah's left arm until she gasped from pain and dropped the dagger to the floor.

"You should have listened to this lovely lady, D. Just because it is a trap, doesn't necessarily mean that it was meant for you!" he called back.

"No!" D yelled, making his way towards them.

"Lilah!" she heard L.H. join in, his blaster's fire increasing.

But neither reached them before, suddenly, they were gone…and the next sight Lilah saw was not the castle they had been in…but another. And she had a horrible, horrible feeling that it was far, far away from where D and L.H. were now.

* * *

End Notes: Okay, so what does Dracula want with Lilah? And I know I didn't give you the name of this chapter in the previous one…but honestly, it was because I did not have it named yet. And I do apologize, but I'm not giving you the name of the next, because it would but a huge spoiler for what happens. Anyway, I'll try to get back to this one soon. Please review!


	25. Violation

A/N- Sorry for the wait, but I finally finished that one fic I had been working on!! Anyway, we're back from a small cliffy and continuing on!

* * *

Chapter 25- Violation

Lilah had barely the time to register her new, and unfamiliar, location before she felt a force shove her down. She landed and bounced once, twice before finally coming to a stop. When she had the sense to look around, she noted that she was in a very cold bedroom, its stone walls lit by several candles that cast a reddish-orange hue on the rich red and black velvet furnished room. Every chair had its back and chair padded with red velvet, patterned with black swirls that curled like an evil vine. She noticed the top cover on the bed she had landed on was similarly patterned, with big, fluffy pillows that were fringed in black. She blinked, bringing her eyes back to the foot of the long, canopied bed.

Dracula smiled, leaning on the railing as if bored. Lilah brought her hand out from underneath her, raising the palm of her right hand. She muttered the fireball spell—the quickest spell she knew—but nothing happened. She muttered it again, with the same result. She stared at her hand, as if it might be the problem, causing the Sacred Ancestor to laugh.

"This room is warded, preventing minor magics from being performed within its walls. I took precautions, Lilah. I am not a stupid man," he explained.

Lilah felt her pride twinge a little at the word "minor," but lost no time in reaching for her dagger. When she came up empty-handed, she looked to her belt to confirm…her dagger—all of her weapons—were gone. Dracula laughed again.

"I _told_ you that I was not a stupid man, Lilah," he said, coming to stand at the side of the bed.

The fact of her utter defenselessness hit her like a ton of bricks. Lilah had not been truly defenseless in quite some time…and she did not like the feeling. Then again, she did not quite remember liking the feeling before. She curled her legs in such a way that she could easily spring off the bed, if needed. However, she highly doubted the she could outrun the Sacred Ancestor. He smiled at her, as if he was a gracious host. She glared in return.

"Where am I? What am I doing here? Where's D and L.H.?" she snapped.

"Ah, quite to the point, aren't we? Well, then, allow me to explain," he said, taking a seat at the foot of the bed.

While Lilah scrunched herself up closer to the head of the bed, Dracula casually crossed his legs—ankle over knee—and pushed a lock of his ebony hair back, as if he had not noticed her reaction. He smiled warmly at her, clasping his hands and resting them on his left leg.

"I noticed you from the first moment you came into my son's company, Lilah, and I liked you. Or rather, I liked the stuff you came from."

Her nose beginning a slow curl of disgust and her brow arching so high it was in danger of disappearing into her hair, she asked, slowly, "What do you mean?"

"Your genetics, dear. Do you know how unusual it is that you are, in fact, still on this plane of existence?"

He paused, as if she was supposed to instantly marvel at the words he had just spoken. When her reaction was only a slight shake of her head, he sighed.

"Allow me to explain even further," he continued, just the slightest hint of annoyance in his regal tones. "The fact that your will to survive, mixed with the potential you have for magic, allowed you to become a dhampire is, well, unheard of. You should, quite literally, be six feet under, my dear, but you're not. This intrigued me."

"And how can that help you?" Lilah bit off, pure malice emanating from her.

Dracula nodded. "Ah, have learned that much of me, have you? Patience, dear, for I will reveal all. As I'm sure my son has told to you, I am very much dedicated to seeing that our race of vampires continues to exist, even in this time of decline. I am constantly looking for ways to eradicate the weaknesses in our species. I've had many failures…with D being my only success."

There was nothing about this that Lilah liked. Not that being kidnapped was something that one usually liked…but still…She hated the way that Dracula was referring to his own son as nothing more than a result to further an experiment. She hated that she was defenseless against whatever it was that the vampire king had planned. And, above all, she hated that she _knew_, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that it was all heading to hell in a hand basket for her.

"I don't understand," she said, dropping her voice to almost a whisper.

Dracula stood, slowly and leisurely, with a dark smile on his face. He snapped his long fingers together and the door to the bedroom creaked open. The new occupant was a huge vampire, close in height to Dracula, but not quite. He easily towered over D. His hair was the color of dirty straw and cut in a simple fashion common to men. He was dressed sparingly. No armor, only black trousers and a white tunic that seemed to hang off of him. His skin was pale, almost ashen, and, his face was square-ish in shape, with his lips being an almost unnatural pink color. However, it was his eyes that gave Lilah pause. They were cat-eye yellow with the darkest pupils she had ever seen. She gasped, pushing herself back farther on the bed, trying to gain as much distance as possible from this vampire.

The vampire smiled, revealing bright white teeth and two, quickly elongating fangs. Dracula held up a hand, signaling his guest to stay put.

"This is Grayson," the vampire king said, gesturing to the newest arrival. "Like you, he is quite talented in various areas. I've genetically altered him to make a bit stronger than the average vampire, which should say something about his strength now. His genetics, however, have also been altered by yours truly."

Lilah had that sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach and had never longed for a weapon so much in her entire life. Every muscle in her body was tense, making her ready to spring at any given moment. But she had the most horrible feeling that even that level of preparedness…meant nothing in her current predicament. She had never liked being the damsel in distress, wanting for the help of some shining knight, no matter how often she had found herself doing just that. However, now, without any shame, she wanted D to come through that door and save her. She wanted it with all the fiber of her being, so much so that she could cry. But again, that sinking feeling…

"What have you done to him?" she whispered again, her eyes locked upon Grayson.

Dracula looked very much like a preening peacock as he answered.

"I'm so glad you asked. I was unable to make the wanted changes to him, as you see him. As I just stated, I could only alter his strength…and his loyalty, might I add. I don't need a strong vampire trying to overthrow me, now do I?"

He paused, waiting for a reply. When Lilah provided none, he continued.

"After many failed attempts at trying to achieve what I wanted, I realized that the reason I could not was because he was already here, born, and matured. It was then that I began to experiment with his reproductive material. But it was still not enough. After all, you can't have a new being without conception, can you?"

Lilah's fingers dug so hard into the bed that she felt them tear straight through the covers to the mattress. Her jaw trembled as she let out a shaky breath. She pulled herself more upright, sure she knew where this train of thought was leading. She knew that there was no way to escape, Grayson and Dracula both blocked the pathways to the one door in the room. But she wasn't going to go down without a fight.

"Then, I saw you. A dhampire by willpower and magic alone. And able to take the demonic parasite I had sealed in D's left hand and give it its own body? Remarkable, truly. Yours are clearly genes with power. You are a superior breeder, my dear. And that's what I intend to do. Together, you and Grayson will produce a child that will have all of our strengths and none of our weaknesses. That child will be able to walk in the sun without _any_ negative effects, withstand all the weapons that can kill us, along with the ones that can't. An immortal, with the physical potential to be the greatest warrior and the mental potential to be the greatest magician that this world has ever seen! The baby will grow rapidly in the womb, for I am an impatient creature, while it will age normally once born—to allow it the time and maturity it needs to gain all the knowledge a functioning being needs."

Lilah shook her head, pure disgust riddling her face. She spat at the floor, aiming for Dracula's feet.

"You're a monster!" she hissed. "This is wrong!"

Dracula shrugged. "Perhaps," he said, putting his back to her. "Grayson, you know what to do. She's all yours. Do _not_ permanently injure or harm her."

As Grayson began to advance, Lilah pounced, trying to launch herself around him and to the door. He caught her, easily, in midair, and slammed her back down onto the bed. She struggled against him, quickly realizing the truth of the vampire's strength. Grayson would not budge. At the sound of Dracula's retreating footsteps, rage overcame her.

"Coward!" she screeched. "Leave the dirty work to this one, instead of doing it yourself! You're nothing but a damned coward!"

She heard him turn to stare back at her.

"I never involve myself with my experiments anymore, Lilah. I've found that it all becomes…just too personal. Make it quick, Grayson."

The door shut as Grayson ripped through Lilah's shirt. Tears welled up in her eyes as she continued to struggle…despite the fact that she knew she was helpless…

* * *

End Notes: Yeah, I didn't want to describe the rape scene, being that this is only rated T and I've already described one sex scene. Also, I wanted to avoid the possibility of turning a perfectly good story into a smut-fest. This all has a purpose, I assure you. I also know that this is shorter than usual…but I sort of knew that this chapter would be short-ish. The next one, I think, will be longer. I hope that everyone is on the edge of their seats with this one. Please review!

Next Chapter: Damsel in Distress

Fun Fact: The song I listened to while writing this song was Vast's "Pretty When You Cry." Please give it a listen…warning, it does have a tiny bit of explicit language in it.

And much thanks to Blitz-the-Falling-Blunder for the name Grayson!

**Edit 01-07-10: Fixing mistakes I was too lazy to fix when I posted this...also, I think the document feeder left out some words that I just know I put in.**


	26. Damsel in Distress

A/N- Thanks for all the wonderful reviews! I'm glad that no one minded me skipping the whole rape description. I've done it before, but that was in an M rated fic, you understand. Anyways, let's continue, shall we?

* * *

Chapter 26- Damsel in Distress

The silvery sound of D's sword passing through flesh rang around the room, followed quickly by two very separate _thuds_. After that, there was a moment when only the breaths of D and L.H. could be heard in the corpse-filled foyer. L.H. stood stock-still, finger still aptly placed upon his blaster's trigger. D was bent forward, as if injured. However, he had not a scratch upon him, and instead looked—upon closer inspection—like a feral animal. His face was downcast and he had yet to remove the blood from his sword. Both stood in this way for several moments before, finally, L.H. broke the silence.

"Oh my God," he muttered, shoving his weapon into its holster. "Oh my God, D…Lilah! He has Lilah!"

Panic was clear in the former-parasite's voice as he began to pace in a small space left between the monsters' corpses. He ran a hand through his red hair, grown shaggy and framing his face now. His eyes were wide and he was talking ceaselessly.

"Your father has Lilah, and God only knows where he took her! We have no way of knowing! D, he could kill her…or worse. D, what if it's worse? What if he turns her? I couldn't take it, not if we had to put a state in the little toots's heart. That would tear me apart, and I'm a cold, cynical bastard."

But D was not answering, nor was he looking up. He was still poised, locked, in his feral position, blood still running down his shining blade and dripping—slowly—onto the floor. However, he heard every word his former appendage was saying. His father did indeed have Lilah in his grasp. And it was no less true that they had no way of knowing how to find her, or where to look. After all, hadn't finding Dracula been his life-long goal after he had sworn himself to stop the vampire king? And hadn't he had to wait for an invitation to fall right into his lap to succeed?

He had to think. There had to be a way, some tiny little way, to save Lilah. But even for his steely concentration, it was growing harder and harder to think with L.H. panicking and pacing back and forth.

"This is all your fault, D!" he said, suddenly rounding on the dhampire. "We tried to tell you that this was a trap! Never once, _not one damn time_, did you consider that your father probably had grander plans than just killing you!"

"I know," D growled, straightening finally. "We'll get her back."

But L.H. did not appear to even hear him as he continued on his rant. It was quickly growing in volume, and his eyes were almost wild with worry now.

"We should have known, D! All of us! Lilah and I should have never agreed to this…we should have stopped you. Oh, but D, you should have really known. I mean, it's amazing that that whole Prophet thing didn't turn out to be a trap. After all, it nearly played out the same way…the mysterious letter and all that…"

And D's eyes suddenly locked on L.H. with such ferocity that he stopped his pacing, staring at him.

"What is it, D?" he asked, breathing heavily having now finally taken a rest in his ranting.

"We can't save Lilah…not alone. But I might know someone who can. Let's go," D said, striding quickly past his former appendage.

L.H. shook his head, moving quickly to catch up, only muttering, "I hope this plan of yours works, D…for Lilah's sake."

…………………

Lilah awoke with a groan, aching horribly. Her eyes were watery from tears she had yet to shed, and she gathered the covers around her still-naked form. Her clothes were in tatters on the floor, making her want to cry even more. She shoved the covers into her mouth, fighting against the sob that had hidden itself there. She felt just sick, physically and mentally sick.

Grayson had left hours ago now, having done his "part," leaving Lilah with her own questions, worries, and shames. But now, as she lay on her side glaring down at the stone floor, there was of one thing she was absolutely certain about. Step one in the experiment was a success. She was pregnant.

She could feel her child's presence in her womb. It was not yet big enough to move or to even show on her…but she knew it was there. She slid a hand under her covers, laying it slowly upon her stomach, closing her eyes. Her chin quivered, threatening to finally release the tears she had done such a good job of keeping at bay so far. Being a dhampire gave her a mastery over her body that no human could ever have. She could simply feel when something was different and wrong. And she could feel that an…addition had been made. She pressed her hand down hard, closing her eyes and gasping—not realizing she had been holding her breath.

The sound of the bedroom's door opening caused her eyes to fly open as she sat up, careful to use the blankets to keep her naked form hidden. Dracula entered, carrying a covered tray of what smelled like the most delicious meal Lilah could have ever imagined and a simple, white cotton dress that look more like it would go under an elaborate gown that it would be worn on its own. He smiled at her, closing the door behind him. He sat the tray upon the vanity's dresser, removing the silver lid to reveal a succulent roasted chicken breast with three different vegetables to accompany it. Across the back of the vanity's adjacent chair, he laid the dress.

"I figured that Grayson might have played a little rough with your clothing, hence the dress. I also thought that you might prefer a human's meal to a vampire's at present. Besides, I only want you to feed off the best blood. I'll be back later, after I've obtained just that. I trust you are feeling well?" he said, again acting the role of a gracious host.

"Get out," she growled at him, looking away.

She could feel a hot blush spreading all over her body. All she wanted to do was spring out of the bed and wring his neck. However, she found herself rooted to the spot, unable to act or say anything more. Dracula sighed.

"As I expected. Well, Lilah, your pregnancy should only last about six weeks, and I intend to make you most comfortable for that time. And, who knows? If all is successful, you might be a permanent guest here. I'll leave you to eat and rest, my dear. You must keep up your strength, you know."

He had turned and swept out of the room by the time Lilah had grabbed the pillow behind her and hurled it at the door. With a growl, she threw the covers off, placing her feet gingerly upon the cold floor. She pushed herself up, marching across to the dress. She picked it up and lowered its rough fabric over her form. By the time her head re-emerged, the tears were already silently falling.

…………………

"I don't understand what we're doing," L.H. said from his place astride his mount.

He eyed the strange new "passenger" that D had picked up, unconscious and lain across the back of the dhampire's black stallion. The two were currently in the same forest that the aiders had held L.H. in. For that same reason, the former parasite was uneasy, despite that they were now much closer to the forest's center and far away from the aiders' hunting grounds. D held up a hand, signaling silence, as he dismounted. L.H. followed suit, taking the reins of both his own horse and D's.

"Stay here. I'll signal for you," D said, stepping through the barrier of trees before him into what appeared to be a small clearing beyond.

"All right," L.H. muttered, leaning against a nearby tree. "But if I get carried off by the aiders again, we'll all know who to blame."

D ignored him as he stepped into the center of the clearing. He stood, neither moving nor saying anything. He did not even reach for his sword and seemed to just be waiting for something. Suddenly, from the other side of the clearing, a figure appeared. She swayed her way through the trees, her long, almost glowing, white gown trailing around her. She paused her lithe figure just feet from D, a smile shaping her pink lips. She pushed a lock of her long, floor-length, ebony hair behind her shoulder and laughed lightly, the sound like that of softly tinkling bells.

"Gatemaster," D said, simply.

"Master D," she said, bowing deeply, spreading her long, porcelain arms open.

She was ever smiling as she upturned her face back to the dhampire. She cocked her head, a curious look on her face as she straightened her slender body once more.

"Since you seemed ever so determined not to be the one who speaks first, I suppose I'll ask: what brings you back so soon, my dear darkling dhampire?" she said, her voice cheery and smooth.

"You said you had seer abilities. Was this true?" D asked, his voice even and deliberate.

She arched a charcoal brow. "Stranger and stranger. Yes, it was, and is, very true," she answered.

"Then how did you not see me coming?"

She shrugged her shoulders, which looked more like an angel sighing. "I wasn't watching for you. I'm not omniscient."

D did not speak for a moment, seeming to take in this information. Finally, he locked eyes with her.

"Would you still have those abilities, if you were not bound to this place?"

The Gatemaster's blue eyes widened, and she blinked several times. Then, she smiled a small smile, looking away from her guest.

"Magic has a way of making itself apart of its bearer. Especially if the two are connected for quite some time. I believe I meet those conditions, so…yes. They might not be as strong as I am used to…but I would still have them."

"Would you like the opportunity to explore them, to be free of this position?"

The Gatemaster looked as if someone had knocked the wind out of her. She stood, stony faced, unable to speak for several moments. Finally, her eyes grew sad, and she put her back to D. She shook her head, her hair sweeping the forest floor as she did so.

"I would love to…but there is no replacement. And I can think of no one who would deserve such a…limiting life that the life of a Gatemaster is. I'm trapped here. And I've made my peace with that, Master D."

"But if I could free you, would you agree to help me?" D asked, taking the slightest of steps forward.

She whirled on him, her brow furrowed. "How could you possibly free me?"

"Would you help me?"

She nodded. "Without hesitation…if you could free me."

D raised a hand and signaled, and L.H. led both D's horse and his own out from the trees. D went to the large form on the back of his black stallion, lifting it effortlessly. He then deposited it on the forest floor at the feet of The Gatemaster. She knelt, her pale hand hovering over the brown burlap material for a split second before finally pulling it back. She gasped, shocked to see the blonde haired, purple-scaled female form of a naga before her. She looked up at D, her eyes wide.

"And alive…" she muttered before adding, a bit louder, "how did you know?"

D ignored her question, only replying, "Will this suffice?"

The Gatemaster grinned. "Yes…just one moment, boys. I'll be free in a jiffy."

A dagger materialized out of thin air and landed in one of her hands. She flipped the naga woman onto her back, lifting up one of the half-snake's wrists. She muttered some quick words in a language that neither D nor L.H. recognized, ending her strange speech in the slitting of her own wrist along with the naga's. She then held the two cuts on top of each other and gasped.

The light that had always seemed to surround her faded and seemed to be running down her arm onto the naga. And D and L.H. watched as The Gatemaster's hair shortened itself—not losing its color—to just past her waist and her white, ethereal dress changed to one that was worn and torn at its hem that did not seem to flow in the least. All of this seemed to pass to the naga woman, whose snake tail changed into two separate legs and were covered by a flowing dress. Her hair extended to the length that The Gatemaster's once had been. Finally, by the time it was over, the now former Gatemaster stood.

Her face was no less lovely, but a lot more human, even to the point of having a smattering of freckles across the nose and cheeks of her pale olive face. She smiled widely at the two.

"I'm free!" she all but squealed, her voice losing none of its beauty either.

She jumped forward, hugging L.H—apparently, and rightly, assuming that D was not the hugging type. L.H. hugged back, exchanging an odd look with D. When she finally stood back, her blue eyes were shining with happy tears. She whirled on D, crossing her arms across her form.

"What can I do to help you?" she asked.

"Dracula has got Lilah, and we don't know where. Can you show us?" D asked.

With an almost devious smile, she winked. "I can do you one better."

…………………

Lilah lay back on the bed, her hand covering her stomach. Her mind was a blank slate, unable to truly process anything. All that was running through it was the fact that soon, too soon, she was going to be a mother to a creature that had been…engineered by Dracula. She wondered, vaguely, if her child would look like any other human, dhampire, or vampire would. She closed her eyes, trying to image what her future child would look like. Would it be a boy or a girl? Would it be an uncontrollable monster or just a child to be raised? An odd feeling struck Lilah then, as she slowly opened her eyes. She stared down at her stomach, watching it rise and fall with her breath and imagined—for a moment—that it was the baby's breathing that she was watching. She laid her head back on her pillow, an oddly serene thought passing through her and relaxing her for the first time in this place.

Suddenly, a slight _thud_ sounded, causing Lilah to shoot upright in her bed, for she had not heard the door open. The sight before her caused her heart to swell with such joy that she could never, in a million years, describe it. L.H. was smiling brightly at her, while D look as stoic as usual. In between the two stood a lovely young woman with long black hair, freckles, and a perfectly shaped mouth and nose, who had her hands in fists, resting them on both of her hips. Her blue eyes twinkled as she smiled at Lilah.

"And there you have it!" the dark haired, smiling woman announced.

"Lilah!" L.H. almost shouted, only quieting himself halfway through her name as the woman's quickly uttered "ssh!"

"Quiet!" the woman said. "This room was heavily warded. If my magic and I had been a hundred years less than what we were, I would not have been able to get in here. Lucky for you all, that is not the case. So, we should get her, and get out."

Lilah didn't need to be told twice. She bounded off the bed right into D's arms. She buried her face in his chest, only to have him hold her back. His eyes swept her, searching. Lilah shook her head.

"I haven't been bitten, D…believe me," she said.

L.H. raised a brow. "It sounds as if you almost wish that it _had_ happened."

The woman stepped forward as Lilah opened her mouth to explain, placing a hand on her shoulder.

"Explain things _after_ I get us out of here. We haven't the time now," she said, solemnly, locking eyes with Lilah.

Lilah's eyes widened, but she nodded. However, D reached for his sword.

"Not yet," he said, heading for the door.

Gasping, Lilah threw herself in front of him. "D, please! I just want to go home."

A brief flash of crimson invaded D's eyes, but passed as he looked down at Lilah.

"Lilah…it was my fault you got captured…and I'm sorry. But he must be stopped," D said, moving to step around her.

But Lilah would not budge.

"D, please! Let's just go!"

"D," L.H. said suddenly, stepping up beside Lilah and sliding a protective arm around her shoulders, "it was because you wouldn't listen to us that she got captured in the first place. Let it go. There'll be another chance."

D shook his head a fraction of an inch. "No. Dracula must die."

He reached out, placing a hand on Lilah's shoulder, gently shoving her aside. However, before he could open the door, Lilah—tears stinging her eyes—bit out, "D, I'm pregnant!"

All eyes in the room fell upon her as she sighed. She took one deep breath and explained, telling them all about the violation that had taken place and the fact that her pregnancy had been altered to last a short while.

"Six weeks, to be exact," she finished with a sigh.

"You poor girl!" the woman that had yet to be introduced to her said, coming to stand by Lilah's side.

D did not speak immediately. But, finally, he locked eyes with Lilah.

"It's okay," he said. "We can abort the pregnancy, once we're at the manor."

But Lilah shook her head, causing all to arch a brow at her.

"It's not the baby's fault that this happened. I'm having the child, D…but Dracula will come for the baby. We have to run. Please…please understand!" she begged.

Again, silence for just a moment. D, after a long moment, approached Lilah, eyeing her.

"…Then we'll run," he said, simply.

"And not a moment too soon," the woman said. "He's coming…and he's not alone."

"Then let's make sure we're not here," L.H. said.

The door to the bedroom opened, anger in the Sacred Ancestor's eyes…but no one was on the other side of the door to witness it.

* * *

End Notes: Well, how was that? Poor Lilah's in quite a pickle. I apologize for all the talk in this chapter too...it just felt like everyone had something to say, huh? I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter.

Song Listened to This Chapter: Hollywood Undead's "Circles"

Next Chapter's Title: Grave Thoughts


	27. Grave Thoughts

A/N- Thanks for the great reviews! Once again, they were much appreciated. Now, this chapter is dedicated to Kitala, who gave me the idea for it. Many thanks to her, and I hope she likes it!

* * *

Chapter 27- Grave Thoughts

Within the blink of an eye, D, Lilah, L.H., and the woman who had yet to be introduced to Lilah stood in the foyer of D's manor. L.H. whirled immediately to Lilah, placing a comforting hand on her arm.

"I'm going to pack. What do you need?" he asked.

Lilah's face flushed pleasantly. She smiled at him just moments before wrapping her arms around him in the tightest hug she could give without crushing him. When she pushed herself back, she shrugged.

"I can get it. Don't worry. I'm not _that_ pregnant yet," she said.

L.H. nodded once, turning and running up the right staircase to his room somewhere above. Lilah turned, about to address D, only to see his retreating back up the left staircase. She blinked a couple of times, shocked, but came back to herself when the strange woman laid a soothing hand on her shoulder. Lilah looked up at the woman, who was looking quite sympathetic.

"I'll help you pack, dear. After all, I've got nothing to pack here," she said.

Lilah arched a brow as she led her up the stairs. "Who are you, by the way?"

The woman laughed a musical laugh and shook her raven locks. Lilah pursed her lips, warning herself to reserve judgment of the woman until she had gotten to know her a bit more. But it was proving to be a difficult task… After all, she had just _appeared_ with D…

"I'm sorry! I'm…well, actually, I don't have a name. I used to be the Gatemaster to the World of White that D visited to heal you. He came for me so that he and L.H. would be able to find you as soon as possible," she said as they reached the second floor landing.

Lilah blinked. She remembered D mentioning a prophet of some type from a World of White healing her…but she didn't know anything about this "Gatemaster." And, apparently, her face betrayed this slight confusion, because the woman then proceeded to explain, in greater detail, about her former position. She continued to explain as they entered Lilah's room, withdrew a couple of bags from under the bed, and began to pack the few possessions she had into them. By the end of it, Lilah was still not sure how she felt about this woman, but she did feel a bit more relaxed around her. And she had only one question for her.

"Were you ever human?" Lilah asked.

The former Gatemaster smiled, cocking her head. "I was… a long, long time ago. I was human in a time when the vampires were at the peak of their powers. Long before even D was born. I, honestly, just can't remember what my name used to be before I was bound to the World of White."

An intensely sad feeling took over Lilah as she sank down to the edge of her bed. The woman furrowed a brow at her.

"What is it?"

Lilah shook her head. "How sad… to not remember something as simple as your own name. I remember everything about being human… but I know that'll fade, should I live so long. But I don't think I'll ever forget my name. Or will I? The thought had never crossed my mind…"

Lilah's voice trailed off as she lost herself in that sad, sad thought. The woman blinked, her eyes wide in surprise. With a small smile, she sat down beside Lilah and her now-packed bags and placed a hand on Lilah's, bringing her out of her thoughts.

"I never thought it was so important, really. It doesn't bother me. After all, I've forgotten quite a bit about my human life… except for the important things, like what my family was like. I'm sure that'll never fade from your mind, like it's never faded from mine."

Lilah smiled and decided, despite her initial worries and thoughts, that perhaps this woman was not so bad after all. Standing, she turned to face the former Gatemaster and placed her hands on her hips.

"Well, you have to have a name," she proclaimed. "What would you like?"

The woman smiled. "No one gets to name themselves. Why should I? What don't you pick, Lilah?"

Lilah blinked a couple of times, remembering a time that now seemed very long ago when L.H. had said something quite similar to her. She shook her head, ever so slightly, to throw off this odd moment, and smiled again.

"Well…" she said slowly, "you are the reason I'm back here, safe and sound for the moment with the people I care about. Maybe your name should reflect that?"

The woman crossed her long legs under her dress, knee over knee, and rested clasped hands on the topmost knee. She smiled, waiting patiently for her christening by Lilah. For her part, Lilah was combing her mind for a name that would adequately reflect a deed that was just so wonderful...

"Heavenly," Lilah murmured.

"What?" the woman asked.

"What you did for me… it was heavenly. Celeste. Your name should be Celeste. It means 'heavenly,'" Lilah explained.

The woman stood, nodding. "Celeste is a beautiful name. I love it."

Lilah blushed. "It was… my mother's name."

"Then I'm honored."

Shortly after, the two grabbed the bags and made their way downstairs to find L.H. standing in the foyer. He whirled, his attention falling to Lilah.

"D's preparing a wagon he had in the stables… He has a lot of crap amassed here… anyway, he's hitching his horse, my horse, and Princess to it. He says we'll have to purchase one in town before we leave. Is that everything?"

He pointed to the two bags. Lilah nodded.

"Yes, but I still want to grab a couple of books from the library. Some of the spellbooks," she explained.

L.H. nodded. "Already done. Grabbed those after I got done packing. My stuff is already in the wagon."

Lilah hugged L.H. once more. When the two parted, she turned and introduced him to Celeste. L.H. cocked a brow, but smiled.

"Celeste," he commented. "I like it."

"Thank you. Um… I know that no plans were made, but would it be acceptable for me to travel with you? I really have nowhere to go, and you all seem like an interesting bunch," she replied.

L.H. shrugged. "The more, the merrier. And besides, if you have any other cool powers, we might need them."

With a bright smile, Celeste nodded once. Then, she grabbed the folds on either side of her skirt, spreading it out before him.

"I might want to pick up some new clothes in town, if no one minds," she said, eyeing the worn, torn, and dirty parts of her outfit.

"I'm sure that's the least we could do for you, after you helped us save our Lilah," L.H. responded, wrapping an arm about Lilah's waist.

She rested her head— her hair being still a little matted from her struggles—on his shoulder and muttered a few words of thanks to him. She stepped back as he moved to pick up her bags, leading them out the front doors of the manor. Lilah stopped just outside the doors, eyeing the large wagon that D was still currently hitching the horses to. It was not like the ancient, human designed wagons. In fact, this wagon had been updated and built to survive all that the dangerous Frontier could throw at you. Built from the strongest metals, it was more like a really big box on wheels. Two doors, one on the front for the driver—just behind the driver's seat—and one on the very back allowed entrance into the vehicle. Lilah bypassed the back door and went directly to Princess, to whom D was still hitching.

"I think we're ready when you are," she said quietly as L.H. and Celeste loaded the rest of the items inside the wagon.

D gave a curt nod, but said nothing. Lilah's brow furrowed and she took a step closer to the other dhampire. However, before she could say anything more, D turned and called to the other two, asking if they were ready.

"Ready," L.H. said, opening the back of the wagon and pulling down the small set of stairs.

"I've got no complaints," Celeste added as she ascended the stairs at L.H.'s gesture.

"D," Lilah said, moving to stand in his way as he moved around Princess. "What's wrong?"

D gave her possibly the coldest look she had ever received from him as he replied, "Nothing. You should get inside. We should get moving as soon as possible."

She felt her jaw clench as her eyes grew a bit watery. However, she mastered herself and nodded, hopefully throwing an equally cold look back at him. She whirled on heel and went to the back, ignoring L.H.'s proffered hand with a snap of, "I can manage."

L.H. looked a little shocked at that, but said nothing. He followed behind her, pulling up the stairs, and securing the door. The door between the driver and the passengers opened as D sat, his back—obviously—to his companions. Lilah situated herself on the small, sparsely black-cushioned bench across from Celeste, who sat on a bench of similar construct. L.H. sat himself down in front of the door, resting his back against it, and announced that everyone and everything was accounted for. With a snap of the reins, the group began their run.

The ride was quiet at first. Lilah took her time looking around the cabin; deliberately not meeting anyone's eyes for fear that it would draw tears to hers. It was dark inside the wagon, the only light source at the moment being the rising sun beyond the door that D mostly blocked. Lilah, in efforts not to bore a hole into D's back with her glares, moved her eyes a few inches to the left, noticing the control panel there for the wagon.

This panel controlled the circuitry that, once activated, would protect the wagon at night when travelers needed rest… and when most of the creatures of the Frontier appeared. It created a nearly impenetrable shield that expanded and surrounded even the horses of the wagon. Consequently, it also served as quite an effective anti-theft device. Lilah moved her eyes away from the front of the wagon and continued her stubbornly silent survey of her new quarters. The space was really a bit bigger than the outside of the wagon might suggest, easily sleeping all four of the group. The two benches on either side of the longer walls were softer than their appearances initially suggested and just wide enough to fit a person, while the rest of the wagon's space left room for the group's bags and L.H.'s outstretched legs. Lilah allowed her eyes to fall to the floor and stay there until D quietly announced that they had reached the town.

"We're here for supplies," he said, dismounting as the other three filed out of the back. As he hitched the lead horse—Princess—to a nearby hitching post, he added, "Get what you need fast. I'm going to purchase another horse as well as some other essentials."

The group nodded and disbursed, with Celeste and Lilah finding a nearby—and extremely small—clothing shop. They entered the wood-constructed building to the sound of a tinkling shop bell above their heads. Faster than possibly imaginable, a bubbly red-haired shop girl appeared, offering her services. As Lilah was about to refuse, Celeste spoke up.

"Actually, what we need are quite a few outfits. We have a few friends, all in varying stages of pregnancy, that we need outfits for. And I'd like a new outfit, preferably not a dress, that has good maneuverability," she all but ordered.

The shop girl's face scrunched up in thought as she slowly nodded. After a moment, she asked, in a voice just as bubbly as she seemed, "How many friends?"

Celeste eyed Lilah for a moment, who stared at her questionably. Finally, turning back to the shop girl, she said, "Eight… if I'm not forgetting anyone."

With a nod, she gestured for Celeste to follow her for a quick consult, and Celeste linked arms with Lilah, dragging her along. Lilah fought down a groan as the two quickly crossed ten feet worth of the store, and the shop girl instructed Celeste to step up on the small, sturdy circle of wood that was elevated above the floor and surrounded by mirrors. The girl returned, taking a few quick measurements, and then directing her into a dressing room. She offered, once more, her services to Lilah who again turned her down. The girl announced that she would return shortly.

"You should ask her to see the maternity outfits she picks out, to see if you think our 'friends' would like them," Celeste said from her place behind the elevated, wooden door. Lilah stared down at Celeste's feet, dirty and shoeless—she noticed for the first time. Lilah scrunched her eyebrows as she watched Celeste's dirty dress come up and land over the dressing room's door—which was not yet high enough to reach to the top of the threshold it covered, but tall enough to obscure the majority of Celeste's body and head. When the shop girl returned with what seemed like a mountain of different cloths draped over her arms, she tossed half of the pile to Celeste and turned to Lilah with the rest.

"Do you think your friends would like these outfits?" she asked, hanging no less than ten different outfits on an empty rack before Lilah.

Lilah blinked, quite surprised by the girl's efficiency. She opened her mouth to speak when Celeste beat her.

"Can she look at them while I'm trying on these?" she called over her door.

The girl assented and dashed away, Celeste's order for shoes following after her. Lilah shook her head, taking the smallest of steps forward towards the maternity clothes and beginning to rifle through them. Most were dresses, light and airy and designed with very pretty floral patterns. Apparently the shop girl's inspiration for the choices before Lilah had been "pretty and comfortable." And the girl had indeed picked several outfits for several different stages of pregnancy.

"What do you think of them?" Celeste called, tossing a pair of brown leather pants over the door—narrowly missing Lilah's head.

Lilah couldn't help but turn up her nose as she arrived at a white, shin-length dress which was patterning with large sunflowers. She had never considered herself a tomboy… but she had never been found of floral patterns either.

"They're… okay," she said as a white, button up cotton blouse flew by overhead.

"Well, it's your choice, dear. You're the only one who'll have to wear them," Celeste said, lowering her voice at the second statement.

"They'll do. After all, it's not like it's nine months, right? Only a month and a half," she said, suddenly feeling like she had swallowed a lead weight.

The shop girl returned, sliding several pairs of shoes under Celeste's door and asking Lilah which outfits she would like to keep. Lilah pointed at eight different outfits, and the girl snatched them up, saying she would box them. She bustled off.

"So, how are you feeling about D?" Celeste said, another pair of pants flying.

Lilah blinked, turning towards the dressing room, staring at the door as if she could see Celeste.

"What do you mean?" she asked.

She could almost hear the eye roll as Celeste replied, "He's being rather cold. Are you okay with that? I mean, of course you aren't, but I mean, what do you think is wrong? How _do_ you feel about that?"

Lilah crossed her arms low, over her stomach. She wondered, vaguely for a moment, if this was some sort of maternal response… or because she was feeling rather sick at the moment. She pressed her lips tightly together as she realized that the nausea feeling was rather strong. Once she trusted her mouth to open without disgusting consequences, she replied, "I don't know."

"You don't know how you feel, or you don't know why he's acting like that?"

"I don't know why he's acting like that," Lilah admitted. "I'm rather pissed that he's acting so coldly. I mean, he's supposed to love me, right? And how did you know that his coldness was upsetting me?"

Celeste laughed. "You strike me as the talkative type, and you barely strung together two words the whole ride here."

"Well, I did just get raped, you know," Lilah hissed.

Saying the word, she felt herself blanch a little. She had not allowed herself to think to terribly on it for some time now. All she had focused on was the safety of her unborn child, but now that she had voiced aloud the violation that had taken place, she felt her knees buckle a little.

"You're strong, Lilah," Celeste said, her voice the most serious Lilah had heard it yet. "And D _does _love you. Don't even think to question that."

Lilah blinked, wishing there was a place to sit somewhere near her. However, she forced herself to remain standing, and sighed.

"How do I know that?" she lamented, moving to lean against the wall between Celeste's dressing room and the next.

"Because The Prophet offered him to be human… and he turned it down. For you," she said.

Lilah's eyes went as wide as saucers. She turned towards the dressing room, keeping one hand on the wall.

"What?" she asked breathlessly.

"Yeah. D could have been human, if he had only let you die. He could have been human and never worried about hunting vampires ever again. But he chose you, above himself. He loves you, Lilah. I think he's just working through some issues himself. Though, I'll agree, not as important as what happened to you," Celeste said, opening the door.

She stepped out, shoving her long hair behind her. She had dressed herself in a corset top meant for functionality, not just decoration or seduction. It was made of tough cotton, unadorned, and tight-fitting. She had chosen a pair of brown slacks, a little looser about her legs than the corset was about her torso, and a pair of matching boots that were leather and quite well made. She reached back, grabbing her dress, and balled it up under her arm. Lilah raised a brow.

"I can use it for something, I'm sure," Celeste shrugged.

The two made their way to the front, paid for their purchases with Celeste offering to carry the boxes for Lilah, and left the store. They found D, mounted once again in the driver's seat of the wagon, and L.H. waiting to help them into the wagon. Lilah thought briefly on how she had snapped at him earlier, and she dashed a little ahead of Celeste, wrapping her arms around L.H.'s neck. She muttered an apology into his ear and pulled away, finding herself a little bit teary eyes. She wiped at them, shaking her head.

"I'm sorry," she apologized again. "I don't know why I'm so weepy."

"Hormones," L.H. said lightly.

Lilah laughed and, this time, accepted his hand as he helped her into the wagon. Once all were in the wagon, they set off, with D saying nothing to his passengers. Lilah felt a little bit better about his silence, but not much. The revelation that Celeste had made to her erased any question she may have had about D's feelings toward her… but that did not answer why he was being so cold to him. Biting lightly on her bottom lip, she scooted closer to him.

"You got food supplies?" she asked, lamely.

She mentally chastised herself for such a stupid opener, but she was just so desperate to open a dialogue between herself and D. He nodded, adding quietly, "And blood capsules."

Lilah blinked, genuinely surprised. Typically, villages made a point of not stocking anything that could attract someone of Noble birth.

"Where did you find those?" she asked.

"The general store kept them stocked for me. In thanks for keeping the town safe," he said in his same monotone.

Lilah felt a stab of guilt in her chest. This had been one of the few towns, if not the only one, to truly accept D for what he was… and now they had to flee, possibly never to return. She blushed a deep crimson and set back against the wall of wagon, saying nothing else. Perhaps noticing this, L.H. slid forward, clearing his throat.

"So, uh, where are we going, anyway?" he asked.

No answer came from anyone. He sighed, rolling his eyes. "That sounds like a wonderful plan."

"Um, actually, if no one minds…" Lilah began quietly.

L.H. shot her a bright smile and asked, "Yeah, toots?"

"I know we probably have to keep moving, as much as possible… so if no one minds, I'd like to visit my grandmother's grave before we get too far gone. We don't even have to linger in the town… just a quick visit."

"Sounds like a plan," Celeste chimed from the back.

"Sounds good to me," L.H. agreed.

Three sets of eyes then turned upon D's back. Without turning, he simply nodded.

…………………

In an oddly uneventful journey for people who considered themselves to be "on the run," they arrived in the small village a week later whose graveyard Lilah's grandmother, Leila, was buried. The group exited the wagon, which they had stopped just a little bit outside of the town, and Lilah ran for cover as she felt a wave of nausea overtake her. Hiding herself in a clump bushes, she retched and heaved all she had eaten just hours before. She could hear groans of pity coming from both L.H. and Celeste as her vomiting continued. After it had passed and she trusted herself to move, she walked back to the group, covering her mouth. L.H. offered her a drink of water, which she used to wash the disgusting flavor out. D dismounted and rounded the horses, checking each one in turn. Lilah's brow furrowed as she watched him.

A week's worth of travel, and D's coldness towards her had not passed. Barely a word passed between the two of them, and it was increasingly upsetting her. Feeling her eyes growing a bit watery, she quickly turned to L.H., who—along with Celeste—had been a constant companion to her.

"Would it be all right if I visited my grandmother's grave alone?" she asked.

L.H. arched a brow and shook his head. "Well, given your situation, it might be best to take someone with you."

His eyes moved ever so slightly to his left, staring past Lilah and rather intently at D. However, D simply responded, "Take Celeste."

"Sure," Celeste said after exchanging a glance with L.H.

"Um, thanks, but I'd rather like to have a private visit with her grave, you guys," Lilah protested softly.

"Don't worry. I can keep an eye on you from afar without eavesdropping," Celeste assured her.

Lilah eyed the former Gatemaster for a moment before finally nodding. Celeste then smiled, wrapping an arm around her shoulders.

"Lead the way," she said.

…………………

As soon as the girls had gone out of earshot, L.H. strode up the D, stopping only inches from him.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" he hissed.

D ever so slightly raised a brow, moments before turning away from L.H.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

L.H. jumped in front of the dhampire, determined to have his say. When he spoke next, disgust colored his tones.

"You know very well what I mean. What, is Lilah damaged goods now? Not good enough for you anymore? You just gonna toss the poor chickie aside?"

D's eyes flashed for the briefest of moments before his face set to its usual stony expression.

"I have no intention of hurting her," he said simply.

"Too late. Don't you see what your cold shoulder is doing to her? What the hell is your major malfunction?"

D turned his head away from L.H. for a moment, seemingly lost in thought. When he spoke next, his voice was softer.

"Things are… different. I can't explain. She's… been tainted, by someone else. By my _father's_ designs. I'm not sure… how I feel about all of this," he said slowly.

L.H.'s eyes widened. Scoffing, he muttered, "Oh, I've been waiting forever for this," moments before bringing his right hand straight across D's face. D did not stagger from the blow, nor did he block it. Instead, he looked at his former appendage, a slight look of surprise on his beautiful countenance. L.H. shook his head, making a solitary spat at D's feet.

"You are truly pathetic, Vampire Hunter D. You claim to love this girl… to love her like you've never loved another… and you're too damned selfish to see that she needs you now more than ever. No, now when you look at her, all you see is something that your father has used against you. Want to know what you should see? A young woman, who was put into a situation that she could not help or fight, who's scared and just trying to make the best of a shithole of a bad situation. But what, do you think she wanted this?"

"No," D growled.

"Then get over yourself. She loves you and needs you. Don't be a bastard. Or, if you want a better comparison to your actions thus far, don't be your father."

A flash of anger shot across D's face as his eyes locked on L.H. But the former appendage did not move, only shaking his head more.

"Don't you dare get pissed at me, D. You have been a complete bastard to her, and you know it. In fact, you should apologize to her."

D put his back to L.H., making no verbal reply. L.H. rolled his eyes.

"You told a little boy once that a man should never make a woman cry. Well, don't you think that you've made Lilah cry? Or you going back on that too?"

Without a word, D walked off in the direction that Celeste and Lilah had just headed in. L.H. sighed and turned back to the wagon.

"Stupid bastard," he muttered.

…………………

"This is it," Lilah said, gesturing to the grave in front of her.

Celeste eyed the rest of the graveyard around them. Turning back to Lilah, she smiled.

"I'll go to that line of trees," she said, pointing off into the distance. "I'll watch you from there."

"And no eavesdropping?" Lilah asked.

Celeste made an X over her heart. "Promise."

As soon as Celeste was out of earshot, Lilah turned back to the grave. She kicked at a small tuft of grass right in its center and sighed. Finally, she smiled a very small smile.

"Hi, Grandma," she said to the tombstone before her. "It's me, Lilah. Well, of course you know me, right? Well, I was young when you passed… um, that's not important."

And, without reserve, she told the grave before her of all the things she had been through. From her parents' deaths, to becoming a midwife, to becoming a dhampire, to sleeping with D—she left out quite a few details here, to the present state she was in. By the end of her story, her cheeks were wet with tears. She sobbed, nearly uncontrollably, sinking to the ground before her Grandmother's grave.

"Oh, Grandma," she said through her tears. "I'm not strong like you. Not like Mom. Not like Dad. I'm so stupid!"

She paused, drawing in breath and tossing her eyes skyward. When she looked back at the grave, she took a shuddering breath.

"You would be so disappointed in me, wouldn't you? I mean, you made it all the way through your life with no complications like this. You were just so strong. You would be disappointed, wouldn't you? I'm just like any other of those bubble-headed tavern girls you used to hate to see in town. Or maybe I should have been like them? I would be married now, with a child on the way that I wasn't terrified of. I just wanted you to be proud of me, Grandma. And now… I don't think you would be."

She leaned forward, sobbing—if possible—even harder now. However, the sound of a slight rustling behind her caused Lilah to jump to her feet and turn, dagger drawn. She stopped short, seeing only D standing there. His face was its usual, stony expression, but his eyes were shining. Lilah sheathed her dagger and hugged herself, looking away, sniffling. No words passed for a long moment. Finally, D stepped forward. His arms extended and engulfed Lilah in a tight embrace. Once the shock had passed, her tears fell fresh.

"You're wrong," D said, stroking her hair. "I can't think of any reason why Leila would not be proud of you… like you should be of yourself. And I've been stupid. I'm sorry."

Lilah wrapped her arms about D, and felt her heart swell with joy when his arms only tighten their embrace.

* * *

End Notes: Okay, so everyone had some issues… except for Celeste and L.H., who simply played the puppet masters in this one. And, just in case those previous chapters weren't long enough, there's this uber chapter. I hope everyone enjoyed it. Also, just a note, I have a new poll on my profile. If you will, please drop by and vote. Thank you! Please review!

Song Listened to This Chapter: Decode. Yeah, I know it was written for Twilight, but I just felt like it fit.

Next Chapter's Title: Priorities


	28. Priorities

A/N- I'm glad everyone liked that last chapter. I hope this one will be just as interesting for you. And thank you all for the wonderful reviews!

* * *

Chapter 28- Priorities

Two weeks had passed since they had departed from the village where Lilah's grandmother, Leila, had been buried. The group had stayed a single night in the town—fearing to stay anywhere for _too_ long. D and Lilah had shared a room, which had seemed mundane to them but had excited Celeste and L.H. nearly beyond words. After all, they did nothing more than sleep that night. Lilah had confessed to D that she was not ready yet to be with anyone in a physical way, and the dhampire had more than understood. Instead, she had simply fallen asleep while resting her head on his stomach, sharing with him the private thoughts of worry and fear that had plagued her from the moment she had realized she was pregnant. D had confessed, in turn, that he shared some of her worries… but that it was nothing they could not handle. With this most pleasant thought, Lilah had slept soundly.

And then, after D had also paid his respects to Leila's grave, the group had moved on. Their destination was still, as of yet, unknown. And for the majority of those following two weeks after that small village that had held so many memories for Lilah, the fact that their destination had been unknown had not been a problem. However, nearly exactly at the halfway mark through Lilah's engineered pregnancy, Celeste made a keen observation.

They were currently going at a leisurely, yet not too slow, pace down a dusty road in the middle of a nowhere that was usually found between villages on the Frontier. Lilah was sitting at the front of the wagon with D, reclined ever so slightly back and gazing around her at the various, and most random, peoples that they passed on this much-used road—despite its deserted look. Her hand was, once more, resting on her stomach, feeling the growing bump there. It was not that she was particularly huge at this point, but she was roughly the equivalent of four and a half months pregnant… in three weeks' time. It was strange enough to be suddenly pregnant, but the baby was already moving… and L.H. predicted that she might even feel her child kick soon. The thought of that gave Lilah pleasurable shudders up and down her spine and brought a bright smile to her face.

So now, as the sun beat down on her pale face, she smiled brightly up at it, the breeze caused by their moving blowing her blonde hair behind her—which she was allowing to hang loose from its usual braid for once. The group was quiet. None appeared to be in a foul mood, but all seemed rather lost in their own thoughts. Then, Celeste—poking her head in between D and Lilah—decided to share one of hers aloud.

"So, what's the end point for this journey? I mean, we can't stay _constantly_ moving," she said.

"Why can't we?" L.H. asked, poking his head around Lilah's other side. He baby talked a few moments to Lilah's stomach before adding, "We've got no real destination, and if we stop, we run a real risk of the Sacred Ancestor finding Lilah and her baby."

"He's right," D said shortly.

"But, Lilah's got to give birth, fellas. She's going to need a place to do that. We don't have the proper sanitary conditions here in the wagon," Celeste said.

No one spoke for a long moment. Finally, Lilah straightened herself. She looked straight at D, lightly placing a hand on his arm.

"She's right. There's no way I can have my baby in this thing. I… never thought about that," she said.

"But, toots, Dracula's good a finding people. I mean, seriously… we just _can't_ stop," L.H. protested.

"Then we'll have to make this wagon make due," D said, suddenly jerking the reins to the left, leading them down a smaller, possibly even dustier road. Lilah cocked a brow as Celeste and L.H. were both knocked backwards into the back of the wagon.

"Where are we going?" Lilah asked.

D tossed his chin in the direction ahead of them. "Do you see that cluster of trees in the distance?"

The phrase "in the distance" did not do justice to exactly how far away the trees in question were in actuality. In fact, Lilah heavily suspected that had she not been a dhampire herself, she would be unable to see them from where they currently were. However, she nodded.

"It looks like a small forest," she said off-handedly.

"It is. On the other side is a village… one much closer than any in the direction we were headed in. We'll buy the necessary supplies for a woman who might go into labor there," he said.

Lilah's eyes widened. "But, D! None of you know what you're doing when it comes to helping a woman give birth!"

"You were a midwife, correct?"

"Yes."

"Then you'll show all three of us, to be safe."

Lilah blinked several times at him. She glanced back over her shoulder, looking for support. She had more than agreed with Celeste about wanting a stable, immobile place to give birth. However, the former Gatemaster was still busy trying to untangle herself from L.H. Lilah sighed, putting her attention back on D.

"How long will it be until we arrive?" she asked, hoping that the heaviness she had let seep into her tones would promote D's curiosity. But his reply was to no such avail.

"Two days to clear the forest, if we go nonstop. Another day at the same pace to reach the village," he said, in his same even tones.

Lilah reclined on the side of the door behind her. She grunted some manner of assent to him, again hoping for an inquiry to her feelings on the matter. Again, she got no such response. Instead, D flicked the reins of the horses, causing the animals to pick up their pace a bit. It was then that she was struck with an idea. She glanced back over to D, trying to hide the mischievous grin forming on her face.

"D, we can't go nonstop. It would kill our horses, and although you may not be very attached to yours, I happen to love Princess," she said, forcing a bit of protest in.

"I did not mean that we would not stop to care for them. I meant, nonstop for us. You, of course, may sleep. But Celeste, L.H., and myself will continue the drive into town," he answered.

Crossing her arms and legs, Lilah let out a "huff" and went silent. As the ride continued, she would have later sworn that she saw the tiniest of triumphant smiles on D's face. That only made her sulkier.

…………………

"Lilah, we're about halfway to the town," Celeste said, her voice clam and soothing as she placed a gentle hand on Lilah's shoulder, shaking her lightly.

Lilah shot up from her place on the bench within the wagon as if someone had screamed her awake, blinking the sleep out of her eyes. With a half-laugh and a smile, Celeste offered her a brush and a hair-tie, repeating for her that they were nearly to the town. Lilah thanked her, dragging the brush through her hair and quickly braiding and binding it. She then crawled, slowly, towards the driver's seat, surprised to see that it was getting to be sundown. It would be nearly nightfall when they arrived in the town.

"Is it safe?" she asked D as she gestured to the seat beside him.

For the past two and a half days, from the moment that the wagon had broke the forest's barrier, a combined council of D, L.H., and Celeste had banished Lilah to the inner wagon, forbidding her to show her face until they were clear of the forest and its dangers. This had greatly perturbed her. After all, she could still defend herself, despite her growing belly. But her companions would hear none of it. So, while she had been made to take her food inside and forced to miss the greenery of the forest, she had listened as she heard her friends fight off all sorts of various monstrosities that the forest had thrown at them. None of which had gotten anywhere near the wagon before either D or L.H. had cut it down.

Now, L.H., who was snoring rather loudly on the bench opposite the one she had been sleeping on, shot suddenly awake, diving forward to gently grasp her on either side.

"Don't even think about it!" he said, dragging her back inside.

"But, we're out of the forest!" she protested.

Their constant hovering over her, making sure she was safe and sound, was endearing but growing intensely annoying. She pursed her lips together, fighting down all the nasty things she was thinking about saying that were bubbling to the surface.

"But it's almost nightfall," L.H. responded without fail.

"But I'm a dhampire! I shouldn't have to be secluded at night," she pouted.

She locked her eyes onto D's back, willing him to say or do something that would gain her access to the outside of the wagon once more. However, the beautiful dhampire said nothing. Celeste sighed.

"I can't argue with L.H., Lilah. We have to keep you hidden. It's you and your baby that the great one is after," she said, crawling out of the driver's door to sit beside D.

With a low growl/groan that she had not known she had in her, she all but threw her rear-end onto the nearest bench, crossed her arms, and pouted as much as she had ever pouted in her entire life. She felt the annoyance of practically being a prisoner—and a pregnant one at that—amongst her own friends rising in her. She could just picture her skin turning a comical red color and steam pouring out of her ears. A titter of laugher reached her, in reality, steam-less ears, and she whirled to see L.H. with his hands pressed, hard, against his mouth. She huffed again, looking away as the former appendage finally gave into to peals of laughter. Lilah made it a point not to speak to anyone until they had entered the town's limits.

The sun had not yet fully set when they finally reached the center of the town—where most of the taverns of the Frontier were located. The sky was the beautiful, twilit colors of a pleasant red that wasn't wholly red and a gorgeous, royal purple. It actually took Lilah's breath away to see it, having finally been released from the wagon. After all, her friends had grudgingly admitted, they had no idea what to buy for birthing a child without her. So, with L.H. and Celeste flanking her, they made their way towards the general store next door to the tavern, while D activated the shields on the wagon. They had gone less than six steps away when a voice cried out to them.

"Please! Please, sirs, madams, wait!"

Lilah, L.H., and Celeste turned to see an older man, safely set in his middle ages, sprinting towards them, one hand held out in a classic "wait" motion. His hair was feathered down and a mousy brown color with only a few strands of gray hiding themselves amongst the thick locks. The sides of his rather rectangular face were taken up by thick sideburns that perfectly matched the shade of his hair. His mustache, while not behind as thick as his sideburns, was still not thin. He was dressed impeccably in a black business suit, cut with low pockets perfect for pocket watches, of which the gold chain hung decoratively halfway around his form. D made no move to turn towards the man, who safely stopped a good five feet from the newcomers.

"You're vampire hunters, yes?" he asked, huffing ever so slightly.

Lilah turned her questioning eyes to D, who looked over his shoulder at the man.

"We have no business in this town but to purchase supplies," he replied coolly.

"But you _are_ vampire hunters. Please, our town is in need of your services," the man said. With a tiny bow, he added, "I'm Mayor Adams. And I implore you… please, we wish to hire your services."

D finally turned towards the man, who started ever so slightly. He stood, transfixed, at the unearthly beauty that was Vampire Hunter D. Locking eyes with the man, D gave his answer to the man's plea.

"We'll be travelling on tonight. We're no longer for hire," he said, turning away once more.

This shocked the man out of his reverie. He blinked, shaking his head. Surely, he had never encountered a vampire hunter who would turn down a bounty. He took the slightest of steps towards D.

"Please! Our town doesn't have much to offer in the way of money… we are prosperous enough, but not enough to hire a hunter. But, if you would, we'd readily agree to allow you to fully resupply from our general store free of charge, as well as provide lodging in our inn for you and all your travelling companions for the duration of the hunt. Please, sir, it's all we have. Our children and women…"

Here, the mayor's voice broke. D put his back again to the man, and Lilah could take it no longer. Breaking away from L.H. and Celeste, she strode forward, lightly touching D's arm.

"D… these people need our help," she whispered, low enough that she knew only she and D could hear.

"It's too dangerous to keep you in one place for too long," D said simply, as if that should end the discussion. But Lilah pressed on.

"We could use the break, D. I mean, free supplies and lodging? I daresay that that's often more valuable than just money. And we _do_ need supplies."

"We have no want or worry for money, Lilah."

Against her own will, Lilah's hand tightened, desperately, on D's arm.

"Please, D… it's… not just the bounty. Obviously, something is harming this town's women and children. I can't stand that thought, of innocent children being hurt or killed. And…"

But Lilah cut off there, looking deliberately away. However, D understood perfectly what she had been going to say.

"You're hoping that the hunt takes long enough… that we'll be in this place when you give birth."

Lilah lifted sad eyes back up to D's, which as usual betrayed nothing. She sighed, shrugging.

"Not specifically this place. I mean, I know we have to keep moving. But… I want to be able to give birth where _I'd_ like to give birth. And we can't keep moving forever. That's no way to raise a child, D. When I decided to keep this baby, I also decided to raise it. I can't raise a child if we're constantly on the move. That's no kind of life. Please, D?"

D cast his eyes downward for the briefest of moments. When he met Lilah's once more, he uttered the smallest of sighs.

"We will find a place, a stable place, for you to give birth. And we'll work towards finding a stable home for you to raise the baby in… but we're not taking this bounty."

As D moved to walk away, Lilah stepped again in his way.

"Take it for cover purposes," she said quickly.

D's expression was one of confusion for a moment. Lilah pressed her lips tightly together before she continued.

"Think about it. Word spreads quickly on the Frontier. What if word got out that the infamous Vampire Hunter D wasn't taking bounties anymore. What would happen then?"

D actually looked annoyed. Lilah had trapped him in logic. She smiled triumphantly.

"Fine. But you will stay with Celeste in the inn's room while this hunt is finished," he said.

"Deal!"

D turned back to Mayor Adams, his face the usual mask of stony expression.

"We'll take that contract. What are the details of the hunt?"

The mayor's eyes were almost shining with joy, and he was so overcome that, for a moment, he could not speak. Finally, when he regained himself, he explained.

"Vampires… our town has usually been free of them, but lately we've had an… Well, to be quite frank, it's been an almost overpopulation of them. They're attacking everything, from the townspeople to our livestock. Lately, they've focused on our women and children, carrying them off in the night. My own wife… Melody… she was taken."

"I'm so sorry," Lilah said before she could stop herself.

The mayor waved his hand. "She died hiding our daughter from danger. She died well. Rumor has it that the vampires have some sort of gathering outside of town… off in the west. A few of our men managed to follow them, saying that they were able to keep up with them to a certain point before they just vanished. I will arrange, if you would like, to have these men meet with you, Mr. D."

D nodded, adding while gesturing to Lilah and Celeste, "Put these two into a room at the inn, and then we can get down to business."

…………………

"This must be boring for you," Celeste commented from her place sitting on the edge of one of the two beds in the quaint, sparsely furnished inn room.

Lilah turned away from the window that overlooked the spot that, moments earlier, they had stood, conversing with the mayor. The inn had been just across from the tavern that had hitched their horses at, and Lilah watched as Princess idly flicked at a fly with her tail. She turned, shrugging at Celeste.

"It is, but I understand. I'm not just risking my life anymore… and it seems unfair to risk a life that isn't really mine," she responded, leaning the back of her head against the cool glass.

Celeste smiled, pulling her hair back into a high ponytail at the top of her head. The two women, moments before being ordered to stay at the inn by D and L.H.—something that neither Lilah nor Celeste had really liked hearing, but understood—had managed to get to the general store to place their order for their supplies. The store's owner had refused to give them the items until the job was done, which was more than understandable. Why pay for a service you had not yet received? So now, all the two women could do was wait for the return of D and L.H.

Before long, the two of them decided that they longed for sleep in actual beds—something that Celeste had yet to do since being remade into a human. The two settled down in their own beds, putting out the lights. It wasn't too long before Lilah had drifted off into a wonderful, sleepy world full of soft blankets and fluffy pillows. But that was not to last for nearly long enough. She was suddenly, and rudely, reawakened what felt like moments later by a scream. She and Celeste shot bolt upright, quickly climbing out of their beds. Lilah made a grab for the two packs that they had carried into the rooms with them. They stood back to back, Lilah facing the window and Celeste facing the door.

"What do you think happened?" Lilah whispered.

But Celeste did not have to reply. At that very moment, a wind that came from nowhere blew inside of their room, throwing pillows and blankets and everything else that wasn't nailed down out of place. The two women pressed their backs even closer together as the front door suddenly burst open. Lilah whirled around so that now the two stood shoulder to shoulder and gasped.

Standing there in the doorway was none other than Dracula, an almost sneaky smile on his face. The wind stopped just as suddenly as it had started as he slithered into the room. Dracula inclined his head ever so slightly to Celeste.

"Gatemaster… it's been a while," he said, taking a step forward.

The two women took two steps back. Celeste grinned, returning the slight inclination.

"Dracula. How's the wife… oh… _that's_ right," she responded.

With a snarl, Dracula began to stride forward. Lilah shouted the incantation to the fireball spell, hurling it directly at him. He deflected it easily, but it had provided enough of a pause for Celeste to act. Shouting an incantation that Lilah could not make out, she drew a vertical line in the air, followed by overlapping it with a horizontal one. The motion made itself visible in a giant, shining form before Dracula's eyes. The Sacred Ancestor hissed, backing from the room. Lilah's eyes widened, the strange symbol—which looked something like a lowercased "t"—unfamiliar to her. Before she could think to ask of it, Celeste wrapped an arm about her waist, muttering, "Hold on." With a running dive, the two crashed through the room's window, landing gracefully inches from the wagon. Celeste deactivated it with a wave of her hand—further amazing Lilah—and all but shoved the pregnant dhampire inside.

"Let's find D," she said, whipping the horses into a run immediately.

* * *

End Notes: I hope everyone enjoyed that! Also, a note about the "symbol." Obviously a cross, but let me explain why Lilah did not recognize it. This is something that I took from the Vampire Hunter D novels. In which, it seems that only D, along with only a select handful of others, remembers this holy symbol that can repel vampires. I know they put crosses all over the movies, but the utter lack of the cross made perfect sense to me. I mean, picture it: You're a vampire, and you've just taken over the world. Wouldn't you eliminate the things that could hurt you that humans could get a hold of easily, like garlic and crosses? I would. The survival of the wooden stake makes sense to me as well, since there are very few ways to kill a vampire. You know that they got pissed at one another and killed each other off. Anyway, enough with the ramble. Please review!

Next Chapter's Title: Tricks of the Trade

Song Listened to This Chapter: Kelly Clarkson's "Haunted."


	29. Tricks of the Trade

A/N- Thanks for the great reviews! I'm very excited about these upcoming chapters… now, let's clear up that little cliffy, huh?

* * *

Chapter 29- Tricks of the Trade

**Earlier…**

After meeting with the men of the town who had managed to follow the vampires so far outside the town, D and L.H. had made the trip to the area they had described. Currently, the dhampire and the former appendage were in a small, dense forest that was on the other side of the town. They had followed the men's accounts exactly to word, which had not been difficult. All six of the men had shared the same tale.

After the vampires had been spotted, making sport of some member of the town, the men had pursued them in force. The vampires had led them outside of town, into the forest, heading in a westerly direction. Then, roughly two to three miles inside the forest, they had simply vanished. Now, D and L.H. dismounted from their borrowed horses in the exact spot the men had described.

"So, what do you think about it?" L.H. said, drawing out his weapon.

D, for his part, had yet to unsheathe his sword. Instead, he walked, silent as ever, around the space they now occupied, making a ten foot radius—the width of the area the men had described that they had explored before returning to town. D came to a stop in front of a large, healthy tree that stretched skyward off to L.H.'s right. D stared up the trunk, his expression as unreadable as always. It was as if D was sizing up the tree, trying to decide something. L.H., who after so many years had grown quite used to his companions odd behaviors, simply ignored him. Instead, the former appendage turned away, putting both their backs facing one another.

"Why would vampires allow humans to follow them for so long, D?" L.H. asked, talking over his shoulder.

No reply came. L.H. huffed.

"Don't tell me you haven't wondered the same," he continued, holding his gun at the ready. "They could have easily lost them or killed them. Why were they left alive? Why had they been allowed to follow? Something's not right here."

Suddenly, the scent of iron filled the air. L.H. sniffed the air a couple of times before whirling, recognizing its source. D had unsheathed his sword without a sound and slit his palm open, diagonally. L.H. arched a brow.

"So, what? We're just giving blood to any Tom, Dick, or Harry that asks for it now?" L.H. snapped.

Again, no reply. Instead, D placed his bleeding palm up against the tree's trunk, letting it rest there for a moment. Then, when he pulled it away—the dhampire's cut already sealed—something quite strange happened. In the single blink of a human eye, the tree, and some expanse of the forest, was gone. Instead, in its place, was huge, dark, and dank cave whose mouth was facing D and L.H.

"Huh," L.H. huffed, shaking his head. "An illusion. So this is where they went. But that still doesn't answer _my_ questions."

"I know," D said, gracing him with a rare response.

D had yet to place his sword back in its sheath. Now, with barely a pause, he strode into the cave, L.H. following behind. They crossed the threshold of the cave, the sound of some water dripping in the distance meeting their ears. To say that the cave was dark was an understatement. Instead, it was like peering right into the center of some unnamable void. The pair took another few steps inside, tense and ready for attack. They were no more than three feet within the cave when a light suddenly appeared, nearly blinding them. L.H. hissed with pain, while D looked deliberately ahead. When L.H.'s eyes finally adjusted, he too looked ahead.

A person—a vampire, in actuality—stood several feet ahead of them. He grinned widely, showing his long fangs. He was dressed all in black, but simply—only a shirt and pants—which was rather odd for one of the Nobility. His hair—also black—was cropped short and his eyes glowed with the crimson color of bloodlust. He bowed, mockingly, to them.

"Welcome, Vampire Hunter D… to your demise," he said.

In the instant that followed the end of that sentence, a loud noise sounded behind D and L.H., like the shutting of a giant door. They whirled, seeing that solid stone had taken the place of the cave's open mouth.

"A trap," D hissed, turning back to the still-grinning vampire behind them. "This is _his_ doing."

L.H. knew exactly who D meant, following his statement immediately with, "Lilah!"

"Our Lord will have her. He sends his regrets that his only success will have to meet his end this night," the vampire laughed.

A swarm of bats suddenly surrounded D and L.H., and just as quickly as they had appeared, the bats took their natural shape as vampires, whose eyes all glowed with bloodlust. Neither lost time speaking. As the vampire who had made "introductions" laughed, D and L.H. began to fight their way through the seemingly innumerable vampires that had surrounded them.

The fight seemed to last forever, with no end in sight. For every vampire slain, it appeared that ten took its place. However, D and L.H. carried on, slicing and shooting their way through them. Splatters of blood and gore colored the cave, moments before becoming dust that just hung in the damp air. The vampire at the back of the cave was no longer laughing and was now shouting orders of attack instead. D and L.H. paid him no mind. As the two finally seemed to be making a dent in their attackers, L.H. turned and shouted to D, "This is taking too long! We need to get to Lilah!"

D agreed in his own fashion, turning his attention away from the hordes of attacking vampires. L.H. immediately fell in right behind D, covering him. D was now facing the stone wall that had been the mouth of the cave. With barely a sound, he made six swipes at the rock. When L.H. found a moment to dare peek over his shoulder, he could only see six deep gashes in the rock. However, seconds later, rumbling filled the cave. The vampires stopped attacking, looking around themselves. The rock covering the mouth of the cave gave way, crumbling at D's feet.

"Let's go," he said.

L.H. blinked. "Hell, that's impressive… even for you!"

They emerged into a moon-soaked forest, finding their two horses gone. L.H. whirled, firing a few blasts back inside the cave.

"Great!" he shouted, turning back to D. "Now what? We stand no chance if we have to hoof it."

D's eyes searched the forest for a moment, finally turning to L.H.

"Do you hear that?" he asked.

L.H. listened, finding it hard to concentrate with the vampires that kept leaking out from the cave. However, he heard what D meant moments later—and in between firing his own blasts.

"That's sounds like… Is that our wagon?" L.H. asked, turning and pointing towards the noise.

Moments later, bursting through a barrier of trees was Celeste and Lilah sitting in the driver's seat of the wagon. L.H. gave a small laugh in relief and shook his head.

"Don't stop," D ordered, grabbing L.H. by his collar.

"Hey, whatddaya—whoa!" the former appendage shouted as D, literally, hurled him towards the wagon.

L.H. regained himself just in time to roll off the top of the wagon, catch the end, open the door, and throw himself inside. Lilah's eyes were wide, her hands gripping tightly to the threshold between the inner-wagon and the driver's seat. She whirled, breathing a sigh of relief to see L.H. laid out on the floor of the wagon, huffing and puffing.

"D, look out!" Celeste shouted, bringing Lilah's attention back to D.

The vampires were closing in on D. However, at the last moment, just as the wagon was making a wide turn to go back the way it came, D leapt into the air. He sliced downwards with his sword, killing a few of the attacking vampires as he did so. He landed in a crouch on the roof of the wagon, his sword poised and ready.

"D?" Lilah shouted skyward.

"I'm here," he replied evenly.

This was followed by D cutting down several vampires who had thrown themselves at the wagon.

"That's good enough for me," Celeste said, whipping the horses harder.

The wagon picked up some speed, but not enough to escape the onslaught of vampires.

"Can't you teleport us like you did before, wagon and all?" L.H. said, sticking his head out in between the two women.

"I… I don't know! I've never tried it moving," she said.

"Now's a good time to try!" Lilah shouted, kicking a vampire away who had latched itself onto the side of the wagon.

Celeste gave a single nod. She closed her eyes, and, involuntarily, Lilah closed her as well. Moments later, L.H. yelled, "Whoa, whoa… we're good!"

Both women opened their eyes to find themselves on some distant, dusty road… their horses still at a full run. Celeste pulled on the reigns, cooing the horses to a stop. D leapt off the top of the wagon to the ground, and Lilah threw herself off the driver's seat to wrap her arms around him.

"We have to keep moving," D said, hugging Lilah briefly.

"How did he find us? And so quickly?" she said, almost sobbing.

Although D had stopped hugging her, Lilah had still not detached herself from him. Gently, he pried her off. However, he still kept her close by his person.

"That's a good question. I mean, the Sacred Ancestor is good… but he's not omniscient, despite the beliefs of a lot of the Nobility," L.H. said, exiting the back of the wagon. After a moment, he added, "Celeste, where are we?"

Celeste shrugged. "I think we're… well, I'm not sure. All I was concentrating on was far away from that place. So, we're far away from that forest and Dracula."

"Which is of no use if he can find us so quickly," D said flatly.

This struck all four of them quiet. Finally, Celeste broke the silence with the observation that they should keep moving after they've fed and watered the horses. All agreed and after this task was done, Lilah and Celeste took a place inside the wagon while L.H. and D took the reins.

Two days followed this incident with the group moving at a nearly constant pace. Lilah grew ever more pregnant, her belly now becoming clear. The ride was often a silent one, all lost in their own thoughts. Finally, Lilah sat up from her place lying down on one of the benches.

"Dracula had mentioned that he'd been following you, D," she said.

All eyes fell upon Lilah, who shrugged.

"He mentioned it when he first spoke to me in the garden. There has to be some way he's been able to follow you. Is there anything that he's ever given you?"

Celeste's eyes fell upon L.H. who scoffed, "I'd think I'd know if I was the reason he was able to find us."

However, D muttered, ever so softly, "Of course."

He pulled the horses to a stop and turned, facing the two women inside the wagon. He then removed the blue pendant that Lilah had gotten so used to him wearing that she rarely noticed it anymore. However, now her eyes widened.

"The pendant?" she asked, scooting a bit closer to D.

"He gave it to me early in my training… he said that it was a matter of protection, so that he would always know that I was safe. This is how he's been tracking us," D explained.

"Let me see that!" L.H. said, snatching it out of the dhampire's hands.

The former appendage closed his eyes, folding his hands around the midnight blue pendant. After a moment, he nodded.

"Right on the money… this is it. Cleaver little weasel, your dad," he said, handing the pendant back to D.

"We have to get rid of it," Celeste said.

D's hand began to close around it, ready to crush it, when Celeste reached out and stopped him.

"No," she said, grinning slyly. "Allow me."

D gave her the pendant. Celeste then mimicked the movement that L.H. had done earlier. However, instead of handing the pendant back, when she unclasped her hands, it was gone. Lilah gasped.

"What did you do?" she asked.

Celeste giggled. "Oh, I thought we could buy ourselves some leisure by confusing dear Dracula. I placed it on some random creature several miles from here… like, almost halfway across the continent. Not only is he unable to track us now… he'll be tracking the wrong thing!"

L.H. and Lilah laughed, and even D had a wry smile on his face.

"Clever," the dhampire commented.

"I agree," Lilah said.

"Clever? I'd say sheer genius!" L.H. said.

"Thank you," Celeste said, with a mock bow. Then, reclining back, she put her attention upon Lilah, "Now… I suppose you want to give birth in a stable place?"

Lilah grinned widely, her eyes upon D. "Can we do that now?"

He looked rather unhappy about it still, but nodded. Lilah squealed for joy, hugging first Celeste, then D, thanking each in turn. Finally, L.H. shook his head.

"Well, let's get a move on, shall we?" he asked, snapping the reins.

* * *

End Notes: It seems like they might have finally escaped the clutches of Dracula, huh? Well, I suppose we might see about that… I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter. I'm horrible at action scenes, as I'm sure I've mentioned before. So I hope this one was okay. Please review!

Title of Next Chapter: Oasis

Song(s) Listened to This Chapter: Kelly Clarkson's "If I Can't Have You," Carrie Underwood's "Cowboy Casanova," and Emilie Autumn's "Opheliac."


	30. Oasis

A/N- Thanks for all the great reviews! Now, I hope I do all right with this chapter. It'll be quite difficult for me to write, as I'll explain further at the bottom. See you there!

* * *

Chapter 30- Oasis

The group spent the last part of Lilah's pregnancy putting as much distance between them and where they assumed Dracula would be as possible. In the middle of the fifth week of Lilah's pregnancy, when she had actually gotten quite big and was in the only one of her maternity outfits she could wear—the sunflower dress, to be exact—she began to make the argument for a stable home. Celeste sided, almost automatically, with Lilah, fighting—verbally, of course—with L.H. and D, neither of whom wanted to stop moving. It seemed to the dhampire and his former appendage that they had the advantage over Dracula, and they wanted to keep it that way. However, on the very first day of the last week of Lilah's pregnancy, she had had enough.

"But you _said_ that I could give birth in a place that was stable! I don't _want_ to give birth in this wagon!" Lilah said, now sitting beside D in the driver's seat.

"I did say that… and I'll make sure this wagon is stable when you go into labor," he said without a hint of mirth in his voice, despite the fact that a snort of laughter erupted from L.H. in the back.

Lilah whirled to lock eyes with D, her eyes glowing crimson. He gave her a sidelong glance, betraying no emotion.

"Do you need to feed?" he asked.

Lilah opened her mouth, ready to snap a response… but stopped. Closing her mouth, she nodded. D acknowledged this with a nod of his own, pulling the wagon off the road. They had been traveling alongside a forested area for the past few days, which was fortuitous any time D or Lilah had had to feed. It had also kept them from using too many supplies. D climbed down from the wagon, helping Lilah from her seat. L.H. said that he and Celeste would stay with the wagon.

And so, D and Lilah disappeared through the barrier of trees, only stopping when they reached an acceptable hunting area. Once there, they went about their usual feeding routine, with Lilah taking only a single rabbit rather than her usual number. After she had fed from it, she plopped herself down at the base of a tree, stretching out her legs and crossing her arms over her belly in a huff.

As soon as D had finished, he appeared over her, one of his brows raised slightly.

"Have you already finished?" he asked.

"I'm done feeding, if that's what you mean," she replied rather curtly.

"Then we'll return," he said, offering her a hand up. After all it was rather difficult for Lilah to move around now.

However, she turned her nose up at his hand.

"No," she said.

"No?"

"No. I'm not going back to the wagon. Not until you promise, _swear_, to me that we'll be in some sort of home when I give birth. Which is only days away, by the way," she said, resting against the tree.

"I could carry you back."

"But you won't. After all, you don't want to risk the baby getting hurt, do you?"

"We're leaving, Lilah."

"No, D."

For a moment, neither said anything more. D stood before her, looking more confused than he had possibly been in his entire life, while Lilah glared resolutely up at him. Finally, he sighed, sitting on the ground beside her.

"Why is this so important to you?" he asked.

Lilah eyed him for a moment before sighing.

"I didn't get to choose anything in this situation, D. This is the one thing that I've had control over, and I want it badly. It's no grand reason… I just want it," she said.

Another quiet moment passed before D finally stood.

"We'll find a place. I promise," he said, holding out his hand.

"Really?" Lilah asked.

He nodded. Her face broke into a smile as she graciously accepted his hand and followed him back to the wagon.

They had had to make quick work of it. So, the group began what felt like a rather hefty quest of trying to find a town that was defendable against Dracula. In the first half of the week, it seemed like a lost cause as they turned down no less than ten towns as too hostile. Finally, towards the end of the week, when Lilah was growing worried that she could go into labor any moment, they found it.

They had finally left the green, forest area for one that looked as close to a desert that one could get without actually being a desert. It was a dry and desolate looking area that they were travelling when, one day, they came upon a village. It was small, and seemed to just appear from nowhere. It was rather open, its buildings a little further apart from one another than what most villages usually kept themselves. However, as they entered the little place, they found themselves pleasantly surprised.

The people were not as hostile to them as what the other villages had been. They weren't exactly welcoming, but they were most definitely not trying to drive them out. They seemed to be a pleasant neutral, paying the group little to no mind. Lilah smiled from her place at the front of the wagon.

"This is it," she said, her voice light and faraway.

L.H. cocked a brow at her, coming around from the back.

"Are you sure?" Celeste asked, coming up behind L.H.

Lilah nodded. Moments later, this was followed by a small grimace of pain. She leaned forward, sucking in air and blowing it out hard, one hand rested on her stomach.

"She's going into labor," D said, rather matter-of-factly.

However, his motions did not reflect the calm that his voice did. He leapt quickly from the wagon and was a blur, disappearing to destinations unknown. Celeste's eyes widened, reaching up to pull herself beside Lilah and hold her hand.

"Where the hell is he going?" she snapped, whirling to L.H., who shrugged.

Lilah shook her head, blinking up at Celeste. "It's all right. I think he's gone to get help. We discussed this one night."

And indeed they had. Lilah had informed D, on a night shortly after their feeding in the forest, that she would not have the adequate time to teach them about helping a woman birth a child. She informed D that should she go into labor in a village or town that he was to _immediately_ fetch either the town doctor or midwife. D had agreed to this without hesitation, and Lilah had found that quite funny for some reason. Currently, Celeste and L.H. seemed to accept this explanation as D was returning, a middle-aged woman at his heals.

The woman swept past D as Lilah continued her new breathing pattern, her hand still firmly placed on her round belly. She all but pushed Celeste out of the wagon's seat as she took up a place beside Lilah. Her auburn hair was cut short, coming just to her earlobe, and her blue eyes were large—almost too large for her small, oval face. She stared directly into Lilah's eyes, demanding her attention.

"I'm Shelly, the town midwife. How long has this been going on? Has your water broken yet?" she asked, her voice even and authoritative.

"Not long. Just moments. No, I… I don't think it has," Lilah answered quickly.

"Honey, have you feel any liquid leave you?" Shelly asked.

Lilah shook her head, and Shelly smiled.

"No. It hasn't broken yet. But it could be soon. Let's move you to my home. I have a special room I keep ready in just this short of situation."

At that, Shelly and D helped Lilah off of the wagon, and the group as a whole followed the midwife to her nearby home. The room she had mentioned was at the back of her modestly furnished house, and quite comfortable. Lilah noted the softness of the bed as she was laid down and told to relax. It was a nice change from the benches in the wagon.

"What now?" D asked as Shelly turned to fetch some ice chips for Lilah.

Shelly shrugged. "We wait. It's all up to Lilah now. Lilah, dear, are you a first time mother?"

"Yes," Lilah said through another contraction, which she noticed were increasing in painfulness.

"It'll probably be a little while. First time moms tend to take the longest, but Lilah could surprise us. Right now, it's just important that you stay with her, hold her hand, and support her."

With a bright smile, Shelly left the room. D came to the right side of the rather large bed Lilah had been laid upon, pulling up a stool he found there. Lilah smiled at his almost too obvious discomfort.

"You don't have to hold my hand… if you don't want," she said, continuing to breathe.

She remembered being taught to tell the women to breathe as she was now. And every time she did so, she could never understand how it would possible help them. Now she knew. If she stopped breathing, Lilah was sure that panic would overtake her. After all, she was, in just a short matter of time, about to push a new being into life. And, it helped with the pain… mildly.

Her thoughts were lost now to the idea of birthing the child that Dracula had created, manufactured, for her to have. Her breathing pattern lost its motion, becoming a bit more erratic as the panic she had desperately been trying to ignore welled up inside her heart. What would this child, _her_ child, be like? An angel… or a devil? More different than even a dhampire?

Without any sort of preamble, Lilah felt the chilled fingers of D's hand slip into her own. She looked up at him, to find that tiny smile that he often hid pulling at his lips.

"Everything will be fine, Lilah. Be calm," he said, and Lilah found his even tone soothing.

The panic was not gone. It would not disappear for good, not until she knew for sure. But it wasn't so overwhelming anymore. Not with him here, staring at her. Telling her that everything was okay. She smiled up at him, and an odd thought occurred to her.

"What will the baby call you?" she asked.

His face showed the shadows of confusion. "What do you mean?"

Somehow, through her contractions, she found the time to blush. "We're not married. And, biologically, you aren't the father. But… would you like the baby to call you father?"

D blinked, true shock coloring his normally pale countenance. For a moment, Lilah was scared that she had said too much of the wrong thing. Of course D wouldn't want to be called the father of a child begotten by such a violation! Lilah turned her face away. He was surely about to reject such an idea, and, no matter how much sense it made, it would still hurt her more than she would care to admit. After all, she and D had not been intimate with each other—in any way—since she had been taken. Perhaps his feelings for her had truly waned? And if that was the case, of course he would not want to be called "father."

The hand entangled so pleasantly in hers pulled itself away, and Lilah was sure that any moment she was going to hear the sound of his boots departing. However, the same hand that had pulled away now gently cupped her chin, turning her face towards his. She had barely a moment to scan his features when his lips were pressed to hers in a tender kiss. When he pulled away, his small smile had grown a bit wider.

"I would be honored, to be called the father of _your_ child," he said.

At the emphasis, a happy tear slid down Lilah's cheek. She smiled so wide that her face ached. However, that was all wiped away as she arched forward in pain. D's eyes widened and he called for Shelly, who returned promptly.

"Hmph, your little one is quite anxious to meet you," she said after examining Lilah. "You're ready to give birth."

Lilah blinked. "Wh-what?"

Shelly nodded. "You're the fastest first time mom I've ever had. Your water must have broken either on your way into the house or while you were talking. Either way, this baby is ready to go."

"Oh, God," Lilah whispered, her head falling back against her pillows.

She heard Shelly give D some basic instructions about keeping Lilah focused on her task and keeping her calm. It was the same instructions Lilah had given to fathers-to-be several times over. However, her panic had returned. She was sure that her child's "eagerness" to be born was nothing short of planned by the Sacred Ancestor. However, D's face over hers brought her out of her thoughts.

"Focus, Lilah. You can do this. Think of all you've overcome," he said, lightly squeezing her hand.

After that, strangely, the rest of her labor was a blur. One moment, she was panicked, terrified at the thought of being a mother to a child that was created by the king of the vampires. The next, she could hear her child crying as one of Shelly's apprentices took the baby to be cleaned. Once all the processes of labor were over, even the delivery of the placenta, Lilah could only remember one thing. The exact moment when her child was placed into her arms.

As soon as Shelly knelt over her, gently placing the swaddled child in her arms, and announced, "It's a girl," she felt her heart swell with joy this time, not panic.

How could anything so sweet and small and pink be evil? Her baby girl was the most beautiful child she had ever seen. Her tiny hands were curled into tight balls, and she was slowly falling asleep. A light knock of the door brought Lilah's attention away from her child as L.H. and Celeste entered the room.

"She's adorable!" Celeste whispered, coming in with a fluffy brown teddy bear that she had—surely—acquired from a general store nearby.

L.H. nodded, seeming a bit choked up. Lilah laughed softly at him. She felt D's ebony hair brush her arm as he leaned over the child.

"She's beautiful… like her mother," he whispered.

L.H. cleared his throat—quietly, as to not wake the now fully sleeping baby—and smiled.

"So, what's the little tyke's name?" he asked.

D arched a brow. "You never did pick a name."

Celeste suddenly gasped, pressing a hand to her mouth. "Oh, dear! I didn't take the name you had planned, did I?"

Lilah laughed again, shaking her head. "No. Actually, if it's all right, I _did_ have one name in mind, if it was a girl."

All eyes were filled with questions as she paused here. She turned to look directly at D, smiling softly.

"If it's okay… I'd like to name her Mina, after your mother, D."

It was then that Lilah saw the most heartfelt look she had ever seen on D's face.

"But… what about your grandmother?" he asked, his voice softer than usual.

"I think Grandmother Leila would understand, just this once."

D's eyes locked with hers, and he smiled, nodding once. Leaning over the baby, lightly tickling her chin, he said, "Mina suits her well."

* * *

End Notes: And now, D's a daddy! Yay! Slight note here, Shelly the midwife was based off the midwife in one of my Castlevania fanfics, Youth and Innocence. Shelly is a variation on the name Rochelle, and I gave them the same eye color. That's about it… but Midwife Rochelle from YaI is who I was thinking of. And, to continue what I was saying at the top, I hope this chapter was believable. I've never had a child… I have no idea what it's like. I had to get all my information off a website. And I'm sure that can't compare with actually going through that experience. Okay, so moving on, I've got a little surprise for everyone next chapter. And, because of that, I can't give you the next chapter's title. See you then! Please review!


	31. Interlude

A/N- Thanks for the reviews! Now, as for that little surprise… You'll see at the bottom. I hope you enjoy!

* * *

**Interlude**

_**Eight Years Later…**_

"I won't be out long! Promise!" Mina squealed at her mother, her long locks swaying all about her face.

Lilah smiled down at her daughter as the girl placed her hands on her hips, trying her best to make herself intimidating. However, that time had long since passed for Lilah. She shook her head at Mina, crossing her arms.

Realizing her "demanding" pose was not working on her mother as much as it would on, perhaps, Uncle L.H. or Aunt Celeste—she never _dared_ try to get one over on her father—she decided to try a different approach. She looked up at Lilah with her large, blue eyes and batted her pale lashes at her, her tiny mouth forming the perfectly pitiful pout.

"Please?" she begged, clasping her hands together in front of her face.

Lilah unclasped her arms and ran a hand through Mina's long, blonde locks—paler than her own and the only thing that the child had gotten from her biological "father."

"It'll be sundown soon, Mina. Under no circumstances are you to be out after dark, you know that," Lilah said, resting her hand on her daughter's face.

Mina's façade was dropped as she whirled, her hair smacking her mother about her waist, as she put her back to her, crossing her thin arms. Lilah rolled her eyes and put her own back to Mina. She moved closer to the small stove, checking on the herbal tea she was brewing for a woman in town who had come to her seeking her aid in ridding herself of a bad cough.

The mother and daughter pair currently stood in the cozy kitchen of the home that D had purchased for Lilah eight years ago. It was located right outside the very town she had given birth in, which meant that Mina got visits often from Midwife Shelly. They had lived here, peacefully, for the entirety of the eight years, with Lilah playing the roles of housewife and assistant to Shelly. Because of the dusty town's openness in construction, they were occasionally plagued by monsters that were blown in from the Frontier. The town kept D paid to keep these creatures from doing harm. L.H. often assisted him, while Celeste made her money by doing various chores for the town using her magic.

Of course, unbeknownst to the town or Mina, the group had taken certain precautions to keep the town, and thus Mina, safe from the ever-looming threat of Dracula. Celeste had erected an invisible barrier designed to give the group advanced warning if the Sacred Ancestor got anywhere near it. She had admitted, several times over the years, that her powers paled beside the vampire king's now that she was no longer a Gatemaster, but assured the group that this barrier _would _work. Much to what they counted as their "luck," it had never yet been tested. Lilah now turned back to Mina, lifting her from behind to sit her upon a stool that went with the tiny island bar in the center of the kitchen. Mina couldn't help but smile up at her mother after her little "ride."

"But I told you that I wouldn't go far," she muttered, leaning her cherub face on her hand.

Lilah arched a brow and shook her head. Mina sighed, laying her head—face down—onto the smooth surface of the island. Lilah laughed.

The time when she had feared what her daughter could do had long passed. It was quite true that Mina was everything that _he_ had wanted her to be. She was strong, physically and mentally. She was faster than Lilah could ever hope to be, and even D had to really _try_ to keep up with her. She had none of the weaknesses of the vampires. She could eat, touch, and smell the rare herb garlic without effect, as well as touch the symbol of the cross that Celeste had told Lilah of. She had spent days in the sun without yet feeling the effect of Heat Syndrome, and Lilah doubted if her daughter ever would. She could swim like a fish, and the only reason she had yet to master her bloodlust—when she had it—was due only to her immaturity of age.

Lilah was brought out of her thoughts as Mina's feet began to lightly kick at the island as she began to swing them. She sighed.

"Well, can't I train with you and Daddy tonight?" she asked, her voice muffled as she had not lifted her head.

Lilah laughed. "Yes, if we train, you can train with us. As always."

Her motherhood had made Lilah more aware than ever that she needed to be able to defend herself. She had picked up her hand-to-hand combat training with D as soon as she had been able to after having given birth. She had also been working with fighting with daggers. Truth be told, she was still quite hopeless with anything with a blade… but at least she was somewhat practiced in it. She still kept up with her spell work, now with Celeste tutoring her. She had made great strides, now considering herself a full-blown magician, and Celeste had even gone so far as to call her a sorceress. But Lilah thought that was a little like putting the cart before the horse…

But, as soon as Mina had grown able enough, and once Lilah had witnessed her daughter's unquestionable power, D and Lilah had begun to train her in the ways of combat. They knew that the day would come when Mina would grow up and want a life away from her parents—as much as that realization made Lilah's heart want to stop—and they both wanted her to be more than able to take care of herself. The child was much better at weaponry than her mother was, even starting to learn to use a sword. Curiously enough, however, she had almost no magical talent. Lilah had often found herself wondering if that was some sort of trade off in getting the perfect dhampire.

In the distance, the front door of the cottage opened, and Mina's head shot straight up.

"Daddy!" she cried, jumping off the stool and running into the living room.

Lilah shook her head, turned off her herbs, and followed after her daughter. She emerged into the well-furnished living room to find Mina with her tiny arms wrapped around D's waist. He smiled a tiny ghost of a smile as he swept her up in his arms, sitting her on one of his shoulders.

"Please! Let me go outside! I wanna play outside!" she begged.

"What did your mother say?" D asked as dispassionately as usual.

Mina's mouth opened to answer, but she stopped, catching sight of Lilah there. Lilah was trying hard to fight down a grin when her daughter sighed heavily and said, "She said no."

"Then no it is, Mina. You know that," D replied, setting her back on her feet.

D crossed the room in three quick strides—which had always mystified Lilah, because the living room was not exactly small—and kissed Lilah quickly on the mouth. She smiled. She always found it amusing how D had assimilated himself into this "father/husband" role. For the most part, he had not changed. He still spoke as if nothing in the world could shake him, and his expressions were… well, few and far between. However, there were moments—like the kiss he had just given Lilah or when Mina gives him her brightest smile—that Lilah could see the most change. She had never seen D smile so big as when his daughter smiled at him.

Now, the child turned to gaze up at her father.

"But, Mommy said I could go outside if I trained with the two of you. Please, please can we train tonight?" she asked.

D shook his head. "I'm sorry, Mina. But I have a bounty tonight that I have to hunt."

With a loud, very childish groan, Mina threw her head back. Then, announcing that she was going to her room, she stomped out of sight. Lilah laughed, turning back to D.

"She'll get over it. What's the bounty?" she asked, turning to go back into the kitchen.

"Just some engineered werewolves that someone spotted coming into town. They'll be here by nightfall," D answered, following behind.

"Where's L.H. and Celeste?" Lilah asked, turning as she noticed D was quite close to her.

She smiled and slipped her arms about his neck, planting a soft kiss just on his jaw-line. He smiled at her, slipping his own arms about his waist.

"They're at the tavern. They said that they were bored and thought they'd blow off some steam. Or something to that effect."

"Oh," Lilah said, resting her head on D's chest. A moment passed before she added, "I wish you didn't have a bounty tonight."

"I know," he murmured, burying his face in her hair, which she had not bothered to braid today.

She giggled a little, and for the longest moment, the two simply stood there in each other's arms. Finally, it was Lilah who pushed herself back, sighing.

"So, when are you heading back out?" she asked.

"A few moments. I thought I'd come and spend a bit with you and Mina… but now she's cross with us."

Lilah laughed. "It'll pass."

D returned her smile. "It always does. Perhaps we ought to tell her, Lilah, why we keep her so close by us."

At this, Lilah's face hardened. She put her back to D, busying herself with miniscule chores that in the grand scheme of things meant nothing.

"You know that I don't agree. She's not old enough to know that someone like _him_ is after her," she said, her voice lowering itself to a hiss.

"But she wouldn't spend so much time angry with us if she knew," D argued.

"No, D. She's eight years old. I won't have her have such a weight on her shoulders. She may be a special dhampire, but I want her to be a _normal_ child."

And with that, the subject was dropped. D sat at the tiny island counter as Lilah began to pour the brewed herbs into a flask. She gave them to D with instructions to drop them off with the woman who had requested them. He agreed without hesitation, planting a bit of a longer kiss on her lips as he turned to leave. Lilah sighed as soon as he had left.

She hated having that discussion with D. It was the same result each time. But she would not back down. She was going to keep her daughter safe and happy. And if that meant keeping this little fact a secret, then so be it.

…………………

Mina sighed, gazing out of her bedroom window at the full moon shining its silvery light from above. She often found herself wishing that she was the moon. Or the sun. No one ever told the moon or the sun that they couldn't go outside.

She was never allowed out by herself. She could only step outside her home if her mother, father, uncle, or aunt was with her. She hated it. She wanted to play outside with the other children of the village, without the adults in her life keeping such a close eye on her. Sighing, she rested her head on the windowsill.

She stared at the moon until her eyes began to almost hurt with its soft light… which took quite a while. She listened as she heard her mother go to bed, and had exchanged a stubborn "good night" with her. She heard her Aunt Celeste come home and had done the same with her, with only a little of the stubbornness gone. She had heard whispers of her mother's and Aunt Celeste's conversation—she could hear, easily, the whole thing, but had been taught that eavesdropping was bad—after that, talking about why she was angry with them. Aunt Celeste had laughed and Mina had regretted her lack of stubbornness.

She was deeply set in her sulking when a small flash of light outside her window caught her attention. She narrowed her eyes and stood, pressing her face against the glass of the window. For a few moments, all was as it had been… then…

The flash came back, hovering just in front of her eyes. Mina squeaked and fell to her bottom. She covered her mouth, hoping that her mother had not heard her small cry. When neither her mother nor her aunt made any inquiries, she pulled herself slowly to her feet. She eyed carefully the small ball of white light before her. It bounced a little, and she ducked back below the windowsill. After a moment, she peeked once more.

_I won't hurt you, little one_, the light seemed to say—although Mina had no idea how it could be talking. After all, it was just rounded light. It had none of the features of a face.

"H-how do I know that?" she whispered.

It seemed to smile at her as it melded with the glass, appearing again right in front of her, casting strange shadows about her room. Mina reached out to touch it, but it moved to hover just out of her reach.

_Do you want to play?_

Mina pressed her tiny lips together, looking towards her bedroom door. Perhaps she ought to wake her mother? The light seemed to laugh.

_I promise. I would never hurt you, precious one. Please, won't you come and play with me?_

"Come and play?" Mina repeated in hushed tones.

The light melded once again with the window, reappearing outside. It raised itself up high, and Mina watched as the latch on her window—the one that her mother had always insisted remained locked—unlocked itself. Mina gasped.

"Outside?" she asked it.

It seemed to nod at her. Mina shook her head.

"I'm… I'm not allowed," she said, a tone of finality about her words.

The light giggled.

_It'll be all right. Nothing will hurt you. I won't let it._

"But… but, what if you're bad?" she asked the light.

_Could something bad do this?_

As soon as the sentence had ended, the light went to work. It drew, in the air, another form made from entirely light. This one, however, took the form of a unicorn, a creature that the stories from the old women in the village had taught Mina was the purest, kindest, and most wonderful of the all the creatures left in this world. The light-unicorn whinnied and reared up, and began to run around in circles, all for Mina's amusement. Once Mina's face had broken into a huge smile, and she was fighting down giggles, the unicorn exploded into a beautiful shower of sparkles. Mina wanted desperately to clap for her show, but didn't for fear of waking her mother.

"I suppose not," she said.

Again, the ball of light seemed to smile at her.

_Then follow me, dear one…_

As the light began to fly away, Mina whispered for it to wait, crawling over and out of her bedroom window. She landed on the ground on her knees, but lost no time in pushing herself back to her feet—dusting off her simple, white dress as she did so. She followed quickly after the light, and it urged her to go even faster.

_Hurry! Hurry! I know the best place to play, but we have to hurry!_

Mina followed the light, which teased her by slowing and increasing its speed in turn and dancing just above her head. Before she knew it, she had reached the boundary her parents had set for her so many years ago. She came to a halt several feet from it as she saw a tall, dark figure just on the other side of it. Her eyes widened as she turned around, desperately trying to see her house. But she had gone too far. Even her "special eyes" as her mother and father called them could not see the cottage home.

_Come on! We'll have _so_ much fun!_

The light danced back to her once it noticed she had stopped. Mina shook her head.

"Who is that?" she whispered.

_My friend. He won't hurt you, I promise. He only wants to play, too._

Mina took a few of the tiniest steps she had ever taken before she stopped once again.

"I-I don't know. Maybe I should go home…"

_Please don't go, Mina! He won't hurt you._

"How did you know my name?" she asked the light, her little brows furrowed together as she stared up at the light.

But the light had vanished now, and the figure had advanced so far forward that he now towered over her. She gasped, falling backwards off her feet. The man before her looked very much like her father, with a few key differences. He smiled down at her and knelt, quickly, to scoop her up in his arms.

"Put me down!" Mina shouted.

"Ssh, ssh, it's all right, my darling. My, you are a strong one!" he said as she began to beat her tiny fists against his chest. "Don't worry, dearest. Like I said, I won't hurt you. You can call me "grandfather." We're going to have lots of fun," he said, wrapping his cloak about her.

Mina did the only thing her eight-year-old mind could think to do. She cried out for her mother and father.

…………………

Simultaneously, each pair located on opposite ends of the village, D with L.H., and Lilah with Celeste, snapped right to attention, one word spilling from each of their lips.

"Mina!"

All four had felt the barrier be broken. The werewolves D and L.H. had been fighting suddenly vanished from thin air as L.H.—his hair now kept at a shoulder-length shaggy cut—swore loudly.

"It was a trap! _Damn_ him!" he said, whirling to run in the direction of the cottage.

D easily surpassed him.

From her place in the cottage, Lilah threw herself out of her bed, and, not even stopping for shoes or anything with which to cover her cloth sleeping shirt and pants, tore out of the house, Celeste at her heels.

"He's got her," Celeste said, her voice quiet and hollow.

Lilah's speed increased as she yelled her daughter's name. She ran until she neared the edge of the barrier and saw, just moments before they disappeared, Dracula—with Mina struggling in his arms, crying for her mother and father—smile at her. Then, just before she was within reach, the pair vanished.

"Nooooooooo!" Lilah screeched, dropping immediately to her knees and sliding with the force of her momentum. "No! No! NO!"

She screamed herself nearly hoarse, beating at the ground with Celeste standing over her until D and L.H. arrived.

"We were too late," Celeste informed them quietly as D moved to pull Lilah to her feet.

By now, her face was tear-streaked, and she leaned heavily upon D. She sobbed loudly into his chest, repeating over and over, "He's got her, D! He's got her!"

L.H. let out a scream of his own, throwing down his blaster gun and swearing loudly and profusely.

"Celeste," D said, the only one who seemed to be in control of himself, "can you see them? Like you saw Lilah when he had captured her?"

Celeste seemed to shake herself out of a state of deep shock and muttered, "I'll try."

After a few moments of Celeste seemingly staring off into space, her eyes widened."

"That bastard," she said.

"What is it?" L.H. asked.

Lilah quieted herself, her attention on the former Gatemaster.

"He knows what I can do," Celeste said, sighing disgustedly.

"So… you can't see them?" Lilah asked, her voice strained.

"That's not it. It's more like… I can see twenty of them. Decoys, meant to keep us busy."

"But one of them _is_ him, right?" D demanded.

Celeste nodded. At this, Lilah straightened herself.

"Fine," she spat. "I'd hunt down a hundred decoys to find her. We have to get her back. If that bastard wants to make a game out of this, then I'll play… all for the pleasure of driving a stake into his shriveled, black heart!"

"Then it's settled," D said, putting his back to the group. "We go after them. Let's get ready."

Without another word passing between them, the group followed silently behind to prepare for the long journey ahead.

**End Part I**

* * *

End Notes: And… that's it, folks. The fic known as "How to be a Dhampire," is officially complete. I've known that this end was coming for the last nine chapters. I usually do a countdown of the last five chapters or so, but I decided to surprise all of you. Now, as it says above, this is but part one. Part two will be a fic entitled "How to Save a Dhampire." It still has quite a bit of outlining left to do, but I'll try my best to get the first chapter out as soon as possible. I have quite a few fics in other categories that need some catching up done to them since I started focusing on this one. So, please keep an eye out for it. And I hope you've enjoyed this one. Thanks for all the wonderful reviews and I look forward to hearing your thoughts on this final chapter!

Edited 02/24/10


End file.
